I 

:  c. 

Ex  Libris           \ 
K.  OGDEN 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


LIFE  SHORTENING  HABITS 


AND 


REJUVENATION 


I.   The  Ten  Chief  Life  Shortening  Habits 

II.   The  Rapid  Ageing  of  Women 

III.   Rejuvenation 


BY 

ARNOLD    LORAND,    M.D. 

Carlsbad,  Czecho-Slovakia 


PHILADELPHIA 

F.  A.  DAVIS  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS 
1922 


COPYRIGHT,  1922 

BY 
F.   A.   DAVIS   COMPANY 


Copyright,  Great  Britain.    All  Rights  Reserved 


PRINTED   IN    U.  S.  A. 

PRESS   OF 

.     A.     DAVIS     COMPANY 
PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


"RA 

776 
L88-1 


CONTENTS 


PART  I 
The  Ten  Chief  Life  Shortening  Habits 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

INTRODUCTION  TO  PART  I  7 

I. — ALCOHOL   11 

II. — OVEREATING   22 

III— TOBACCO    33 

IV. — SEXUAL  INDISCRETION  42 

V. — UNCLEANLINESS    60 

VI. — AMBITION   68 

VII. — AVARICE    84 

VIII.— ANGER   95 

IX —VANITY   101 

X. — AVOIDANCE  OF  PARENTHOOD .115 


PART  II 
The  Rapid  Ageing  of  Women 

INTRODUCTION  TO  PART  II  145 

I. — THE  INFLUENCE  OF  SMOKING  ON  THE  FEMALE  ORGANISM  . . .   147 

II. — THE  INFLUENCE  OF  INSUFFICIENT  NOURISHMENT  AND  REDUC- 
TION CURES  ON  THE  FEMALE  ORGANISM  158 

III. — THE  INFLUENCE  OF  AN  IMPROPERLY  CONSTITUTED  DIET  ON  THE 

FEMALE  ORGANISM   163 

IV. — THE  INFLUENCE  OF  AN  INSUFFICIENT  INTAKE  OF  FLUIDS  ON 

THE  FEMALE  ORGANISM  .  168 


[3] 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

V. — THE  INFLUENCE  OF  UNDULY  FREQUENT  USE  OF  PURGATIVES 

ON  THE  FEMALE  ORGANISM  172 

VI. — THE  INFLUENCE  OF  COSMETICS 176 

VII. — THE  INFLUENCE  OF  ANTICONCEPTIONAL  PRACTICES 179 


PART  III 
On  Rejuvenation 

INTRODUCTION  TO  PART  III 191 

I. — GENERAL  CONSIDERATIONS  ON  THE  POSSIBILITY  OF  REJUVEN- 
ATION    195 

II. — REJUVENATION     OF     MAN     AND     ANIMALS     BY     SURGICAL 

METHODS 201 

III. — REJUVENATION  BY  THE  INGESTION  OF  ANIMAL  GLAND  PREPA- 
RATIONS     212 

IV. — REJUVENATION  BY  THE  USE  OF  IODIDES  AND  CERTAIN  OTHER 

DRUGS   223 

V. — REJUVENATION  BY  MEANS  OF  THE  ULTRA-VIOLET  RAYS  OF 

NATURAL  AND  ARTIFICIAL  SUNLIGHT  (QUARTZ  LIGHT)  . .  232 

VI. — PRODUCTION  OF  A  YOUTHFUL  APPEARANCE  BY  MEANS  OF  THE 

ULTRA-VIOLET  RAYS 256 

VII. — REJUVENATION  BY  THE  USE  OF  RADIUM  BATHS  AND  MUD 

BATHS  .  .  264 


[4] 


PART  I 
The  Ten  Chief  Life  Shortening  Habits 


INTRODUCTION 

TO   PART   I 

book  saw  the  light  of  the  world  under  the 
roof  of  an  old  convent  in  Vienna,  the  monas- 
tery of  the  Capuchin  fathers,  who  offered  me  hos- 
pitality and  gave  me  board  and  shelter  during  the 
last  two  years  of  the  World  War  and  for  a  few 
months  after  its  termination. 

After  performing  my  daily  duties  as  a  medical 
officer  it  was  here  that  I  retired  for  the  evenings 
and  nights.  It  was  a  quiet  place,  an  isle  of  silence 
in  the  midst  of  a  noisy  city,  and  just  the  place 
for  contemplation  and  literary  work.  And  very 
silent  neighbors  I  had,  indeed!  Below  me  in  the 
deep  vaults  of  the  convent  lay,  in  sarcophagi  of 
silver  and  copper,  the  bodies  of  all  the  emperors, 
empresses,  archdukes,  and  archduchesses  of  the  im- 
perial and  royal  house  of  Austria-Hungary  who 
had  died  in  the  preceding  four  centuries,  includ- 
ing that  of  the  son  of  the  great  Napoleon,  from 
his  union  with  the  Austrian  princess,  Maria  Louisa. 

Looking  out  of  my  window  into  the  courtyard, 
I  faced  a  skull  bearing  an  imperial  crown  of  iron 
which  formed  the  top  of  the  mausoleum  of  the 
great  Empress  Maria  Theresa. 

My  mind,  moreover,   was  far  from  cheerful,   as 

[7] 


Introduction 

I  had  been  the  witness  of  so  much  misery  and 
had  besides  lost  my  personal  fortune,  the  savings 
of  many  years  of  hard  toil,  in  consequence  of  the 
war.  But  then,  there  were  millions  who  fared  far 
worse  than  I:  Those  who  lost  their  lives  or  had 
bodily  wounds  inflicted  upon  them;  and  far  greater, 
I  think,  than  the  loss  of  life  or  bodily  wounds  of 
many  thousands  is  the  moral  mischief  that  resulted 
from  the  late  war  and  which  has  been  poisoning 
the  minds  and  souls  of  untold  thousands. 

A  huge  wave  of  materialism  has  spread  over  the 
world.  It  seems  as  if  all  idealism  and  altruism  had 
been  effaced  in  the  average  man.  There  is  a  gen- 
eral unwillingness  to  do  work  of  any  kind,  and 
instead  of  working  the  more  in  order  to  build  up 
what  was  lost  through  the  war,  on  the  contrary 
people  are  working  less,  yet  unwilling  to  renounce 
the  benefits  that  should  be  reaped  only  by  those 
who  are  working  the  hardest.  Besides,  there  has 
arisen  an  enormous  over-valuation  of  crude  physi- 
cal labor  at  the  expense  of  the  more  subtle  and 
far  more  important  work  of  the  brain,  thus  expos- 
ing the  brainworkers  to  hardships  and  poverty. 
This  means,  indeed,  the  triumph  of  the  body  over 
the  mind!  There  also  has  arisen  a  general  craze 
to  enjoy  in  full  measure  the  pleasures  of  the  mo- 
ment, regardless  of  the  unfortunate  after-effects 
and  dire  consequences. 

[8] 


Introduction 

In  this  book  I  endeavor  to  show,  on  the  basis 
of  examples  drawn  from  Nature,  that  each  of  the 
creatures  of  the  Almighty  Creator,  be  it  man  or 
animal,  is  destined  by  Him  to  do  some  kind  of 
work,  and  that  Nature,  herself,  teaches  us  to  do 
good.  That,  through  the  teachings  laid  down  herein, 
some  human  life  may  be  prolonged  and  premature 
death  prevented  is  my  earnest  hope. 


[9] 


I 

ALCOHOL 

TT  is  a  well-known  fact  that  alcoholic  beverages 
in  large  amounts  are  deleterious  to  all  men. 
There  are  many  persons,  too,  who  are  unable  to 
take  them  even  in  small  amounts  without  injury 
to  their  health.  But  if  anybody  should  claim  that 
small  quantities  of  an  alcoholic  beverage,  such  as 
beer  or  wine,  are  harmful  to  all  adults,  he  would 
certainly  be  making  a  statement  that  could  not  be 
supported  by  any  argument  of  scientific  value,  so 
far  as  I  know. 

If  there  are  still  some  who  maintain  the  view 
that  wine  or  beer,  even  in  small,  limited  quantities, 
are  deleterious  to  the  health  of  all  adults,  I  would 
acknowledge  their  praiseworthy  endeavor  to  com- 
bat the  scourge  of  alcohol,  but  perhaps  not  their 
good  faith  as  regards  the  truth  of  their  pretention 
if  they  were  well  up  in  physiology,  pharmacology, 
and  experimental  pathology.  I  could  not  follow 
them  as  far  as  that,  for  they  would  be  exceeding 
the  limits  of  reason,  and  instead  of  helping  the  good 
cause,  would  rather  harm  it  by  statements  and 
opinions  that  are  contrary  to  truth  and  to  common 
sense. 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

It  seems  absurd  to  me  that  because  there  are 
men  who  can  never  drink  a  glass  of  wine  or  take 
a  drop  of  whisky  without  emptying  the  whole  bot- 
tle, all  those  should  be  punished  who  are  able  to 
be  moderate  in  their  use  of  these  beverages,  and 
that  on  account  of  the  sins  of  the  others  they 
should  not  be  allowed  to  enjoy  a  little  wine,  a  glass 
of  beer,  or  a  drop  of  whisky  as  recreation  after  a 
hard  day's  toil. 

Where  is  the  due  sense  of  wise  moderation  in 
those  who  are  fighting  alcoholism?  If  a  person  is 
combating  immoderation,  the  very  least  I  should 
expect  from  him  would  be  that  he  should  himself 
be  moderate  in  his  actions  and  not  fall  into  the 
same  error  that  he  is  combating  by  showing  im- 
moderation and  fanaticism  in  pursuing  his  ends. 
For  by  such  fanaticism  he  would  show  himself  pos- 
sessed of  the  mental  deficiency  of  all  fanatics,  lack 
of  judgment,  and  this  would  certainly  not  be  of  a 
nature  to  carry  conviction  to  those  who  are  to  be 
converted  and  brought  back  to  the  path  of  virtue. 
What  we  must  do  is  to  convince  by  arguments  and 
reasoning  those  who  err. 

I  believe  I  can  speak  impartially  on  the  ques- 
tion of  alcohol,  for  I  may  call  to  witness  my  many 
friends  in  America  and  England  that  I  do  not 
drink  any  alcoholic  beverage  and  never  had  drink- 
ing habits.  I  never  turned  Paul  from  having  been 

[12] 


Alcohol 

Saul,  which  certainly  cannot  be  said  to  apply  to 
all  those  who  are  now  bitterly  fighting  alcoholism. 
How  human  it  is  to  hate  what  we  once  loved! 
When  we  have  professed  the  greatest  affection  or 
liking  for  a  person  or  thing,  and  when  for  some 
reason  or  other  the  friendship  or  liking  ends,  and 
we  become  enemies,  then  our  hatred  grows  just  as 
great  as  our  friendship  had  been  before.  Those  who 
are  converted  to  a  new  religion  are  very  apt  to  be- 
come fanatics  in  it. 

While  I  do  not  drink,  I  do  not  claim  this  as  one 
of  my  virtues.  I  do  not  drink  because — I  know  I 
differ  in  this  peculiarity  from  other  men — alcoholic 
beverages  have  never  been  pleasing  to  my  palate, 
and,  heaven  be  praised,  I  never  feel  the  necessity 
of  stimulants! 

I  feel  I  must  adhere  to  the  actual,  simple  truth 
if  I  want  the  large  congregation  of  healthseekers 
to  lend  their  ears  willingly  to  my  teachings,  and 
I  am  fully  aware  of  the  fact  that  I  dare  not 
make  myself  guilty  of  any  exaggeration  if  I  want 
to  convince! 

Now  it  would  really  be  an  exaggeration  if  I 
should  maintain  that  alcohol  is  harmful  even  in 
small  quantities  to  adults.  That  it  is  extremely 
dangerous  to  children  in  small  quantities  and  im- 
pairs their  capacity  for  learning  and  their  intellect 
in  general  is  a  fact  upon  which  I  have  already 

[13] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

laid  stress  in  my  book  on  "Building  Human 
Intelligence." 

But  that  alcohol  in  small  quantities  is  not  dan- 
gerous to  grown  up  persons  is  a  fact  referred  to  in 
every  manual  on  pharmacology,  wherein  it  is  like- 
wise stated  that  in  small  doses  it  is  a  useful  tonic 
to  the  heart,  and  thus  a  serviceable  medicine.  Of 
course  it  is  not  well  to  use  drugs  daily;  hence  it 
would  not  be  wise  to  take  daily  such  a  dose  of  wine 
or  whisky,  for  instance,  as  would  increase  the  pulse 
rate,  cause  the  heart  to  beat  more  strongly,  and  in- 
duce a  sensation  of  heat. 

For  daily  use,  if  one  does  not  prefer  in  the  in- 
terest of  longevity  to  entirely  renounce  alcoholic 
beverages,  two  small  glasses  of  wine  of  low  alcohol 
content,  or  a  glass  of  beer,  is  enough.  It  would 
not  become  one  preaching  moderation  to  recom- 
mend more  than  that  amount.  It  is  better  still, 
of  course,  if  people  can  be  so  brought  up  from 
childhood  that  they  will  not  feel  the  need  of  such 
stimulants. 

For  children  every  drop  of  alcohol  is  a  real  crime, 
and  should  be  severely  punished  by  law.  But  it 
would  certainly  be  advisable,  too,  that  grown  up 
people  should  consider  alcohol  rather  as  a  kind  of 
occasional  medicine.  With  alcohol  it  is  as  with  all 
other  drugs  and  medicine;  if  you  take  much  of  it, 
it  will  turn  into  a  poison.  It  excites  undue  activ- 

[14] 


Alcohol 

ity  of  certain  glands,  the  ductless  or  endocrin  glands, 
i.e.,  the  thyroid,  liver,  kidneys,  adrenals,  pituitary 
body,  and  the  sexual  glands,  and  thus  contributes 
to  their  degeneration. 

The  great  importance  of  these  glands  which,  af- 
ter the  brain,  heart,  and  lungs,  are  the  most  im- 
portant organs  of  the  body,  has  been  described  in  a 
masterly  way  by  an  American  savant,  Dr.  Charles 
E.  deM.  Sajous,  of  Philadelphia,  in  his  classical 
work  on  "Internal  Secretions,"  the  first  book  on 
this  subject  to  be  contributed  to  the  medical  litera- 
ture in  the  entire  world. 

The  first  organ  to  suffer  from  alcohol  is  the  liver, 
to  which  it  is  conveyed  directly  from  the  intestinal 
tract.  Among  the  duties  of  this  organ  is  that  of 
ridding  our  body  of  the  different  poisons  that  are 
brought  to  it  with  the  blood  from  the  digestive 
organs  and  which  we  introduce  into  our  body  with 
food  and  drink.  The  alcohol  thus  carried  to  the 
liver  induces  inflammation  of  its  tissues,  and  in  the 
long  run  may  bring  about  the  destruction  of  this 
most  important  organ. 

Further,  an  accumulation  of  large  quantities  of 
water  in  the  abdominal  cavity,  ascites,  may  take 
place,  so  that  the  abdomen  becomes  distended  like 
a  barrel.  The  drunkard,  as  punishment  for  the 
pleasures  he  has  derived  from  tapping  a  barrel,  is 
thus  condemned  by  the  vengeful  hand  of  Nature 

[15] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

to  carry  such  a  barrel  in  his  own  person  through 
the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  which  can  be  main- 
tained only  by  repeated  tapping  of  the  accumulated 
fluid. 

What  makes  the  ravages  of  alcohol  so  serious, 
both  for  the  body  and  the  mind,  is  the  fact  that  it 
is  also  most  deleterious  to  a  glandular  structure 
which,  as  shown  through  the  labors  of  Dr.  Sajous, 
and  as  also  described  in  my  books  "Old  Age  De- 
ferred" and  "Building  Human  Intelligence,"  gov- 
erns all  the  functions,  physical  and  mental.  As 
previously  mentioned,  I  have  attributed  early  age- 
ing and  old  age  in  general  to  changes  occurring  in 
this  gland,  and  by  extracts  from  it  I  have  suc- 
ceeded in  restoring  people  to  a  more  youthful 
appearance.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  recently 
Huxley,  in  London,  has  succeeded  in  obtaining 
similar  results  in  his  experimental  work. 

I  have  also  shown  in  my  book  on  "Building 
Human  Intelligence"  that  this  wonderful  gland 
governs  the  condition  of  the  brain  and  the  entire 
nervous  system,  and  that  upon  giving  extracts  of 
it  to  idiots,  cretins,  and  feeble-minded  persons, 
marked  improvement  of  the  mental  condition  may 
take  place.  In  a  book  I  have  just  finished,  on 
forgetfulness  and  absentmindedness,  I  show  that 
through  their  use  the  memory  can  likewise  be 
improved. 

[16] 


Alcohol 

In  cases  of  idiocy,  cretinism  and  feebleminded- 
ness, the  best  results  are  obtained  if  the  treatment 
is  begun  in  childhood.  Thus,  in  the  summer  of  1919 
I  treated  a  feeble-minded  and  quite  dumb  child  of 
4  years  with  thyroid  extract,  with  the  result  that 
after  six  weeks  the  child  became  more  intelligent 
and  was  better  fitted  for  education,  and  had  begun 
also  to  pronounce  several  words  distinctly.  Since 
then  she  has  made  great  progress,  as  her  mother 
informed  me  by  letter.  The  treatment  is  being  con- 
tinued. Very  often  such  children  are  the  offspring 
of  families  upon  which  alcohol  has  been  exercising 
its  nefarious  influence. 

Just  as  goiter,  that  is,  enlargement  of  the  thyroid 
gland,  may  be  hereditary,  so  may  various  morbid 
changes  and  diseases  of  the  thyroid  be  transmitted 
from  the  father  or  from  the  mother  to  the  later 
descendants,  often  even  through  a  number  of  gen- 
erations. Even  ordinary  intoxication  is  attended 
with  disturbances  in  the  function  of  the  thyroid 
gland,  and  if  intoxication  occurs  frequently  in  a 
person,  permanent  and  destructive  changes  in  the 
organ  may  result — as  has  been  demonstrated  by  a 
number  of  investigators  studying  the  thyroid  of 
dead  alcoholics — and  consequently  also  the  develop- 
ment of  mental  disturbances  and  finally  insanity. 

Now,  since  the  thyroid  plays  the  most  important 
role  among  the  detoxicating  and  protective  organs 

[17] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

of  the  body,  the  resisting  power  of  the  body  against 
various  poisons  and  infectious  germs  is  diminished 
by  morbid  changes  in  it  induced  through  the  action 
of  alcohol,  and  in  those  with  severe  alcoholism  may 
even  be  entirely  abolished.  The  fact  need  not  sur- 
prise us,  therefore,  that  alcoholics  quickly  succumb 
to  all  kinds  of  infection.  Contracting  an  inflam- 
mation of  the  lung  may  be  attended  with  particular 
danger  to  life  in  alcoholics.  Death  often  results 
within  a  few  days  in  these  cases.  In  this  disorder, 
indeed,  everything  depends  upon  the  strength  of 
the  heart,  which  must  therefore  be  stimulated  by 
all  available  means.  The  heart  of  the  alcoholic  is, 
however,  as  a  rule  in  a  weak  condition,  since  alco- 
hol in  large  amounts  injures  the  heart  muscle  and 
reduces  the  functional  power  of  this  organ. 

Alcohol  exerts  an  equally  harmful  influence  on 
the  condition  of  the  blood-vessels,  and  arterioscler- 
osis is  exceedingly  often  found  present  in  drinkers. 
The  occurrence  of  arteriosclerosis  in  these  subjects, 
frequently  while  they  are  still  relatively  young,  is 
likewise  to  be  accounted  for  in  part  by  the  dis- 
eased condition  of  the  kidneys  induced  by  alcohol. 
Alcohol  has  an  extremely  harmful  effect  on  the 
delicate,  sensitive  tissues  of  these  highly  important 
organs,  and  is  often  responsible  for  the  develop- 
ment of  inflammation  of  the  kidneys  (nephritis), 
which  markedly  shortens  life. 

[18] 


Alcohol 

Thus  we  see  that  alcohol  harms  a  number  of  the 
organs  which  are  essential  to  life,  and  therefore 
constitutes  one  of  the  most  frequent  causes  of  pre- 
mature demise,  or  at  least  of  early  ageing. 

What  makes  this  butcher  of  humanity  especially 
fatal,  however,  is  that  it  not  only  destroys  the 
drinker  but  also  plunges  his  innocent  descendants 
into  misfortune  and  even  in  many  instances  con- 
signs them  to  an  early  grave. 

Alcohol  impairs  the  very  germ  upon  which  a  fu- 
ture human  existence  is  founded.  It  may  often 
occur  even  on  the  wedding  night  that  a  child  is 
begotten,  while  its  parents  are  in  a  state  of  intoxi- 
cation, which  will  have  to  suffer  from  this  circum- 
stance throughout  life,  for  such  children,  as  is  gen- 
erally the  case  in  the  offspring  of  alcoholic  parents, 
do  not  thrive  well,  possess  little  resisting  power 
against  the  various  infections,  and  frequently  show 
a  tendency  to  scrofula.  Indeed,  tuberculosis  de- 
velops with  particular  ease  in  the  favorable  soil  thus 
produced.  As  I  showed  in  my  previous  works, 
disorders  of  the  thyroid  gland  are  transmissible  to 
the  offspring  (goiter,  for  example,  being  frequently 
transmitted),  and  as  the  thyroid  gland  governs  the 
development  of  the  bones,  the  children  of  alcoholics 
are  often  backward  in  their  growth.  Especially 
notable  among  children  begotten  during  intoxica- 
tion, as  in  general  among  the  offspring  of  drinkers, 

[19] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

is  a  very  marked  nervousness,  and  spasms  or  tre- 
mors in  the  limbs  appear  very  often  in  small  chil- 
dren thus  engendered.  Later,  these  children  very 
frequently  grow  up  to  be  neurasthenic  men  and 
hysterical  women;  fondness  for  alcohol  on  the  part 
of  parents  is  one  of  the  commonest  causes  of  in- 
herited neurasthenia,  hysteria,  or  epilepsy,  which  is 
then  further  transmitted  to  the  children. 

What  makes  conditions  especially  tragic  is  that 
the  children  of  drinkers  often  harbor  a  tendency 
toward  alcohol  from  childhood  on.  Not  that  the 
pleasant  taste  of  wine  or  beer  proves  particularly 
enticing  to  them — even  in  the  true  drinker  this 
property  alone  has  little  influence  in  leading  him 
toward  drink — but  in  such  persons  there  often  ap- 
pears a  state  of  mental  depression,  itself  often  due 
to  physical  causes  (the  mind  generally  being  under 
the  influence  of  the  physical  processes  of  life), 
which  leads  them  to  feel  a  need  of  freeing  them- 
selves from  their  weakness  and  lassitude  and  of 
cheering  themselves  up,  and  as  a  result  the  bottle 
is  soon  resorted  to.  An  abnormal  condition  of  the 
mind  is  of  exceedingly  frequent  occurrence  among 
the  children  of  alcoholics,  and  definite  mental  dis- 
turbances in  many  instances  make  their  appearance 
among  them.  Even  idiotic,  mentally  backward,  or 
otherwise  abnormal  children  are  brought  into  the 
world  from  such  unions,  and  unfortunately  such 

[20] 


Alcohol 

mental  impairment  is  often  further  transmitted  to 
the  succeeding  generations. 

In  this  we  observe  a  condition  similar  to  that 
noted  in  syphilis,  these  two  scourges  of  mankind, 
indeed,  generally  being  in  close  inter-relationship. 
Alcohol  is  an  accomplice  and  abettor  of  syphilis, 
for  which  it  often  prepares  the  ground,  represent- 
ing the  biblical  snake  which  induced  man  to  bite 
into  the  apple  of  perdition.  Bacchus  takes  Venus 
by  the  hand,  the  two  of  them  perform  a  round 
dance,  and  the  people  follow  them  in  long,  long 
columns,  casting  aside  all  restraints,  to  a  premature 
end,  like  the  moths  dashing  themselves  into  the 
flames. 


[21] 


II 

OVEREATING 

""THERE  is  no  doubt  that  in  the  old  Roman  Em- 
pire, when  wars  were  so  frequent  and  no  one 
was  sure  of  his  personal  safety,  many  thousands 
must  have  perished  by  the  sword  or  lost  their  lives 
by  some  unnatural  means.  In  those  times  it  was 
not  in  the  natural  order  of  things  that  people  should 
die  at  home  in  their  beds,  and  countless  were  those 
whose  days  were  ended  by  violence.  And  yet,  a 
sage  of  that  period  put  the  number  of  those  who 
met  an  early  death  on  account  of  overeating  and 
to  whom  the  pleasures  of  the  table  proved  fatal 
still  higher.  For  he  said:  "Plures  gula  quam  gla- 
dius  homines  necat."  (More  people  die  through 
their  palate  than  by  the  sword.) 

Indeed,  there  can  be  no  question  but  that  over- 
eating, i.e.,  the  introduction  of  excessive  quantities 
of  food  into  our  bodies,  is  capable  of  seriously 
menacing  our  health  and  also  often  of  shortening 
our  lives.  We  may,  perhaps,  not  incorrectly  com- 
pare our  body  to  an  engine,  the  heating  of  which 
is  done  by  food.  In  consequence  of  the  heat  ap- 
plied to  the  engine,  energy  is  developed,  and  through 
it  work  of  various  kinds  can  be  performed. 

[22] 


Overeating 

We  may  also  compare — correctly,  to  my  mind— 
our  body  to  a  kind  of  a  stove,  the  food  then  con- 
stituting the  combustible  material,  the  wood  or  coal, 
with  which  the  fire  in  the  stove  is  maintained.  In- 
deed, combustion  takes  place  in  our  body  just  as 
in  a  stove,  and  as  in  a  stove,  the  fire  varies  in 
intensity  according  to  the  kind  of  fuel  used.  A 
hot  fire  or  a  low  one  will  result,  according  to  the 
manner  in  which  we  feed  fuel  to  our  stove. 

There  exist,  as  we  know,  three  principal  kinds 
of  food  material:  The  protein  or  albuminous,  the 
fats,  and  the  carbohydrates  or  starchy  foods.  Of 
these  three  varieties  the  last  two  burn  the  best. 
And  this  is  only  natural.  We  speak  here  of  kin- 
dling a  fire,  and  when  we  make  a  fire,  we  should 
recollect  that  we  are  bringing  into  life  again  the 
rays  of  sunshine  that  were  beaming  down  upon  the 
different  kinds  of  inflammable  material,  e.g.,  the 
trees,  in  prehistoric  times,  millions  of  years  ago. 
This  is  all  related  to  a  law  of  nature,  that  of  the 
conservation  of  energy,  discovered  by  Robert  Mayer. 

No  energy  is  ever  lost.  It  is  changed  into  dif- 
ferent forms,  but  can  never  be  destroyed.  Now,  the 
rays  of  the  sun  contain  large  amounts  of  energy, 
for  the  sun  is  the  greatest  source  of  energy  in  this 
world;  so  that  in  the  last  analysis  all  kinds  of  work 
on  this  earth  can  be  referred  back  to  the  sun  as 
their  origin,  a  truth  enunciated  by  the  great  Eng- 

[23] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

lish  astronomer,  Herschell,  already  centuries  ago. 
Indeed  it  can  be  shown  that  the  fact  that  our  heart 
beats  is  likewise  due  merely  to  the  rays  of  the  sun. 
The  heart  is  a  muscle,  and  its  contractions  are  per- 
formed at  the  expense  of  a  sugar-like  substance, 
glycogen,  manufactured  in  our  bodies  from  the 
starchy  food,  which  is  converted  into  glycogen 
through  the  processes  of  digestion. 

It  has  been  shown  that  after  the  performance 
work  the  muscles  contain  less  glycogen.  In  the  last 
edition  of  my  book  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  I  showed 
that  sugar,  and  above  all,  honey,  is  an  excellent 
remedy  for  a  weak  heart  precisely  on  account  of 
the  above  mentioned  principles,  the  nectar  of  the 
flowers,  which  is  the  source  of  the  honey,  having 
stored  up  the  energy  of  the  sun's  rays.  We  know 
that  all  starchy  food  and  all  sugar-like  matter  in 
nature  can  be  created  only  through  the  help  of  the 
rays  of  the  sun — that  greatest  benefactor  of  the 
human  race  as  well  as  of  the  animal  and  vegetable 
kingdoms. 

No  wonder,  indeed,  that  this  celestial  body  has 
been  worshipped  by  the  old  Persians,  the  Pheni- 
cians,  and  the  Aztecs,  as  one  of  their  chief  gods. 

Now,  as  above  mentioned,  no  form  of  energy  is 
ever  lost  in  this  world,  and  thus,  the  energy  of  the 
sun's  rays,  that  have  been  beaming  down  upon  the 
trees  on  hot  summer  days,  can  be  brought  to  life 

[24] 


Overeating 

again  by  touching  a  match  to  dry  wood  that  has 
been  put  into  a  stove.  And  lo!  Even  the  rays  of 
the  tropical  sun  that  were  beaming  down  millions 
of  years  ago  upon  the  trees  of  the  ancient,  ante- 
diluvian periods,  in  the  lapse  of  ages  are  called  into 
existence  again,  transformed  into  coal,  stones,  trees 
and  plants.  So  also  is  the  kerosene  oil  which  we 
are  burning.  All  these  give  back  their  hidden  sun- 
shine to  us.  It  is  natural  that  wood,  kerosene,  and 
coal  should  make  excellent  fuel,  for  they  are  merely 
a  kind  of  stored  up  sunshine  setting  free  again  the 
light  they  received  from  the  sun  in  prehistoric  times. 

Similar  considerations  apply  to  the  fuel  in  the 
stove  which  is  represented  by  our  body.  Those 
varieties  of  food  will  burn  best  which  are  produced 
through  the  direct  action  of  the  sun's  rays,  such  as 
the  starchy  foods.  Fat  is  also  easily  burned,  for 
it  is  readily  produced  in  our  body  upon  introduc- 
tion of  large  quantities  of  starchy  food  and  sweets. 
These  substances  burn  easily,  undergo  combustion 
in  our  bodies,  and  leave  no  wastes  behind. 

Protein  food,  however,  is  more  complex  chemi- 
cally and  will  not  burn  easily,  especially  if  some- 
thing is  lacking,  without  which  no  stove  will  burn, 
i.e.,,  oxygen.  Furthermore,  much  residuum  from 
the  proteins  remains,  which  makes  the  process  of 
combustion  still  more  difficult.  An  unfavorable  re- 
sult at  the  same  time  is  that,  if  the  material  with 

[25] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

which  the  fire  is  kept  burning  contains  too  much 
protein  food,  then  the  other  materials  such  as  the 
starchy  food  (sugar)  and  the  fats  will  also  burn  in- 
completely. As  a  result  our  stove  will  burn  poorly, 
and  much  residue  will  remain. 

If  too  big  a  fire  is  made  in  it  and  an  excessive 
quantity  of  food  is  ingested,  a  considerable  part  of 
it  will  consist  of  protein  (albuminous  food).  In 
general,  the  protein  introduced  in  our  body  in  the 
form  of  meat  burns  far  worse  and  leaves  more  resi- 
due than  the  albumin  of  plants.  Among  such  resi- 
dues in  our  stove  is  uric  acid,  which  is  manufactured 
mainly  from  meat  food,  especially  from  the  glandu- 
lar organs,  such  as  sweetbread,  liver,  kidneys,  etc. 
Certain  kinds  of  vegetable  food,  however,  are  like- 
wise rich  in  proteins  (e.g.,  peas,  beans,  lentils,  and 
also  coffee  beans).1 

As  is  well  known,  uric  acid  is  the  source  of  many 
disturbances.  Blood  that  contains  much  uric  acid 
and  other  wastes  does  not  flow  readily  and  without 
friction  through  the  vessels,  especially  the  small, 
narrow  capillaries.  The  viscosity  of  such  blood  is, 
as  a  rule,  augmented  and  generally  at  the  same 
time  the  blood-pressure  is  higher  than  normal. 

This  circumstance,  as  we  know,  plays  an  import- 
ant part  in  the  production  of  arteriosclerosis,  which 


1 A  complete  list  of   articles   on    food   containing  uric   acid   may   be 
found  in  my  book  on  "Health  and  Longevity  Through  Rational  Diet." 

[26] 


Overeating 

arises  very  often  from  such  a  cause,  and  so  it  is 
only  natural  that  in  gout,  which  is  mainly  brought 
about,  on  the  one  hand,  through  abundant  forma- 
tion of  uric  acid,  and  on  the  other,  through  insuf- 
ficiency of  the  kidneys  and  their  inability  to  elimi- 
nate these  noxious  substances,  high  blood-pressure 
and  arteriosclerosis  are  frequently,  if  not  usually, 
met  with.  Gouty  subjects  often  die  from  the  ef- 
fects of  arteriosclerosis. 

In  judging  of  the  effects  of  overeating  there  are 
two  factors  which  must  be  considered:  First,  the 
quantity  of  food  that  is  ingested,  and,  secondly,  the 
composition  of  the  food  taken  to  excess. 

When  too  much  food  is  taken,  the  stomach  and 
the  intestines  become  overloaded  and  are  thus  com- 
pelled to  work  harder,  especially  if  the  food  has  not 
been  previously  well  masticated  and  has  not  been 
sufficiently  exposed  to  the  digestive  action  of  the 
saliva,  which  plays  an  important  role  in  the  diges- 
tion of  starchy  food.  Thus,  affections  of  the  stom- 
ach or  intestines  very  easily  arise  which,  in  their 
after-effects,  may  sometimes  induce  more  serious 
and  life-shortening  diseases.  Imperfectly  nourished 
people,  furthermore,  are  less  resistant  to  the  attacks 
of  microbes,  and  may  thus  more  readily  contract 
infectious  diseases. 

The  risks  entailed  become  still  greater  if,  in  the 
excessive  quantity  of  food  ingested,  meat  is  con- 

[27] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

tained  in  large  amounts,  and  much  in  the  way  of 
spices  and  condiments  are  taken  into  the  body  at 
the  same  time. 

As  a  result,  the  poisonous  substances  formed  in 
the  intestine  bring  about  disease  of  the  liver  and 
especially  of  the  kidneys,  which  separate  various 
substances  from  the  blood  like  a  fine  sieve,  and  life 
may  thus  be  materially  shortened.  This  is  further 
assisted  in  that  these  substances  exert  an  injurious 
action  upon  the  heart  and  the  blood-vessels  and 
greatly  promote  the  development  of  arteriosclerosis, 
especially  in  the  presence  of  other  predisposing  fac- 
tors such  as  syphilis  and  abuse  of  tobacco  and  al- 
cohol. Overeating  is  capable,  in  persons  suffering 
from  hardening  of  the  vessels  of  the  heart,  of  bring- 
ing about  the  greatly  feared  attacks  of  breast  pang 
or  angina  pectoris,  and  thus  not  infrequently  lead- 
ing to  sudden  death. 

Where  meat  enters  in  large  amount  into  the 
excessive  diet  taken,  serious  disturbances  of  meta- 
bolism may  result  and  gout  set  in;  and  if,  in  addi- 
tion, much  sweet  or  starchy  food  is  contained  in  the 
diet,  there  may  appear  diabetes,  which  often  ends 
fatally,  or  obesity,  together  with  morbid  changes  in 
various  vitally  important  organs,  such  as  the  heart. 

All  these  disorders  develop  all  the  more  readily 
when  at  the  same  time  the  person  leads  a  sedentary 
mode  of  life  and  the  combustion  of  the  food  sub- 

[28] 


Overeating 

stances  is  not  facilitated  by  adequate  bodily  motion 
as  well  as  a  free  intake  of  fresh  air.  The  same  is 
true  likewise  if  the  correct  proportion  between  the 
size  of  the  body  and  its  weight  and  the  required 
amount  of  food  is  not  kept,  e.g.,  if  a  short  man  of 
light  weight  insists  upon  introducing  into  his  body 
as  much  food  as  would  be  required  for  a  man  of 
giant  stature. 

Much  depends  also  upon  the  age  of  the  person. 
A  youth  requires  more  food  to  build  up  his  body 
than  an  old  man  or  woman  who  is  in  process  of 
senile  involution.  In  the  latter  type  of  person,  un- 
duly rich  food  is  attended  with  the  drawback  that 
in  consequence  of  the  largely  degenerated  and 
shrunken  condition  of  the  digestive  glands  it  can- 
not be  thoroughly  elaborated,  and  from  the  same 
cause,  also,  the  noxious  and  poisonous  constituents 
of  the  different  kinds  of  food  cannot  be  transformed 
into  innocuous  compounds.  Then,  of  course,  there 
may  occur  in  consequence  serious  changes  in  the 
heart  and  the  blood-vessels,  which  may  not  infre- 
quently contribute  to  a  fatal  issue  through  arterio- 
sclerosis. 

Many  a  man  is  quite  happy  if  he  can  fill  himself 
with  large  amounts  of  the  choicest  foods,  but  under 
these  conditions  punishment  on  the  part  of  Mother 
Nature  is  to  be  expected.  She  inflicts  such  punish- 
ment merely  in  our  own  interest,  in  order  to  give 

[29] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

us  a  salutary  lesson  and  teach  us  to  mend  our 
ways.  To  this  end  she  may  visit  upon  such  hearty 
eaters  a  catarrh  of  the  stomach,  with  loss  of  appe- 
tite and  sometimes  vomiting,  to  get  rid  of  the  food 
that  has  been  gluttonously  ingested.  Or,  there  may, 
in  the  long  run,  occur  in  consequence  an  attack  of 
gout  or  podagra,  marked  by  the  most  excruciating 
pains  throughout  the  night,  as  a  kind  of  just  pun- 
ishment for  a  lack  of  moderation  in  the  pleasures 
of  the  table, 

It  is  a  frequent  habit  with  us  mortals  in  the 
moments  of  pleasure  to  quite  forget  the  possible 
consequences.  Some  of  us,  when  at  a  table  laden 
with  delicious  food,  fill  our  digestive  tract  to  its 
utmost  capacity,  until,  as  the  saying  goes  among 
the  Hungarian  gypsies  when  invited  to  a  wedding 
dinner,  "the  food  bulges  out  everywhere."  (The 
gypsies  of  Hungary  remind  one  in  many  respects 
of  the  colored  people  of  America,  e.g.,  in  their 
easy-going  ways  and  jolly  disposition.)  For  such 
incorrigible  gluttons  it  would  perhaps  be  advisable 
to  introduce  again  a  certain  salutary  custom  that 
prevailed  in  ancient  Egypt. 

At  festival  dinners  of  the  highest  aristocracy  of 
the  kingdom  it  was  the  custom  for  the  majordomo 
to  pass  around  among  the  guests  and  present  to 
each  a  statuette  representing  a  mummy — in  which 
form  the  Egyptians  were  preserved  after  death— 

[30] 


Overeating 

reminding  them  at  the  same  time  with  solemn  words 
that  while  they  might  profit  of  the  pleasures  of  the 
moment,  they  must  not  forget  that  there  would 
surely  come  a  day  when  they  .would  have  to  depart 
for  the  realm  of  eternal  silence.  Surely  many  of 
us,  hearing  such  admonitions  while  sitting  at  a  well- 
laden  table,  would  be  induced  to  postpone  the  day 
of  departure  as  long  as  possible. 

Perhaps  an  even  greater  restraining  effect  might 
be  exercised  upon  many  an  incorrigible  glutton  if 
there  lay  upon  his  board  such  a  weird  symbol  of 
evanescence  as  may  be  found  at  the  dining  table 
of  some  of  the  orders  of  monks  living  under  the 
strictest  regulations.  Thus,  while  eating  their  fru- 
gal fare,  consisting  only  of  vegetables,  the  Car- 
melites face  a  skull  of  a  dead  person  lying  either 
in  the  middle  or  at  the  head  of  the  table. 

It  would  be  against  my  principles  to  advocate 
the  general  use  of  such  drastic  measures,  but  we 
must  certainly  admit  that  there  are  some  of  our 
fellow  men  with  whom  none  but  such  heroic  means 
would  avail  as  deterrents  from  the  full  dish  and 
bottle.  At  any  rate,  all  those  who  are  fond  of 
the  pleasures  of  the  table  might  at  least  carry  out 
some  of  the  customs  of  these  pious  fathers,  viz., 
they  might  introduce  among  their  numerous  fat 
days  at  least  one  lean  day  in  the  week,  say  the 
Friday  of  each  week. 

[31] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Especially  the  great  meat  eaters  would  do  very 
well,  indeed,  to  abstain  once  a  week  from  their 
habit,  which  is  most  harmful  to  all  who  are  in  some 
degree  predisposed  to  arteriosclerosis,  diabetes,  gout, 
or  kidney  disease — as  I  have  repeatedly  pointed  out 
in  my  books  on  old  age  and  diet  and  in  a  series 
of  monographs  on  diabetes. 

Before  concluding  this  sermon  on  moderation  in 
the  pleasures  of  the  table,  I  would  like  to  point  out 
that  overeating,  in  addition  to  the  harmful  conse- 
quences above  mentioned,  has  still  another  great 
disadvantage.  It  leads  one  into  the  temptation  to 
drink  and  smoke  after  the  meal,  for  there  is  noth- 
ing that  a  full  stomach  desires  so  much  as  alcohol 
and  tobacco. 

It  may  also  be  added  that  overeating  often  leads 
to  early  ageing,  for  it  creates  obesity,  which  also 
makes  people  look  older,  especially  when  a  large 
abdomen  is  developed. 

Early  ageing  is  also  promoted  through  the  fact 
that  overeating  exposes  to  arteriosclerosis.  The 
red  face  with  dilated  blood-vessels  which  heavy 
eaters  often  present  rather  frequently  suggests  a 
much  greater  age  than  is  really  the  case,  particu- 
larly if  a  large  abdominal  development  coexists. 


[32] 


Ill 

TOBACCO 

\V7HEN  a  man  is  an  inveterate  smoker,  his  pas- 
sion for  tobacco  may  obtain  sometimes  such  a 
hold  upon  him  that  it  would  seem  nearly  impossible 
for  him  to  deliver  himself  from  its  nefarious  influ- 
ence. This  accounts  for  the  fact  that  when,  several 
centuries  ago,  the  smoking  habit  was  prohibited 
with  heavy  punishment  and  fines,  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  put  a  stop  to  its  propagation. 

Neither  the  most  severe  castigations  of  the  church, 
nor  the  legal  punishment  of  years  of  prison  and 
bodily  chastisement,  nor  even  the  penalty  of  death 
that  was  inflicted  upon  smokers  in  the  first  years 
after  the  introduction  of  tobacco  from  America  to 
Europe,  were  able  to  deter  the  ancestors  of  present- 
day  smokers.  They  persisted  in  the  habit,  and  if 
unable  to  smoke  in  public,  continued  to  do  so 
secretly. 

It  would  appear  that,  at  least  in  the  central  parts 
of  Europe,  the  martyr  smokers  of  the  sixteenth 
century  have  worthy  successors,  for  on  a  winter 
journey  to  Italy  and  France  last  year  I  saw  on 
the  way  through  Austria  and  Germany  a  number 
of  people  standing  for  an  hour  or  more  in  the  cold 

s  [33] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

wind  and  rain  in  front  of  the  tobacco  shops  merely 
in  order  to  obtain  a  few  cigarettes  or  a  handful 
of  tobacco,  sometimes  consisting  simply  of  beech 
leaves. 

I  fear  that  in  the  face  of  such  an  overpowering 
habit  my  admonitions  will  not  be  of  great  avail, 
and  am  far  from  hopeful  of  complete  success,  but 
I  would  be  glad  even  of  the  partial  success  if  this 
lenten  sermon  were  to  induce  inveterate  smokers 
to  a  certain  degree  of  moderation,  especially  in  the 
use  of  strong  tobacco. 

It  would  certainly  be  going  too  far  to  pretend 
that  smoking  is  harmful  to  every  one,  for  I  know 
personally  of  instances  of  old  men  in  the  seventies 
and  even  in  the  eighties,  who  had  been  smoking 
several  rather  heavy  cigars  each  day  for  years,  and 
were  nevertheless  in  good  health.  I  have  known 
of  the  case  of  a  gentleman  one  hundred  years  old 
who  was  a  heavy  smoker. 

But  while  smoking  even  to  a  rather  pronounced 
degree  causes  no  apparent  harm  in  many  persons, 
there  are,  on  the  other  hand,  not  a  few  persons 
who  suffer  injury  to  their  health  even  from  the 
smoking  of  small  amounts  of  even  light  tobacco  and 
whose  lives  may  be  considerably  shortened  by  daily 
smoking.  Too  often  this  is,  unfortunately,  recog- 
nized only  at  a  late  period,  when  the  symptoms  of  a 
dangerous  disease,  the  occurrence  and  development 

[34] 


Tobacco 

of  which  may  be  very  closely  related  to  smoking, 
viz.,  arteriosclerosis,  are  already  plainly  present. 

Tobacco  exerts  a  very  harmful  influence  upon  the 
condition  of  the  blood-vessels,  both  in  animals — ac- 
cording to  a  series  of  investigations  in  them — and 
in  man.  Perhaps  even  more  than  alcohol,  it  is,  next 
to  syphilis,  the  most  frequent  cause  of  arterioscler- 
osis. The  most  serious  type  of  this  condition,  that 
which  involves  hardening  of  the  coronary  arteries 
supplying  blood  to  the  heart  muscle,  and  which 
results  so  exceedingly  often  in  sudden,  premature 
death,  is  commonest  among  heavy  smokers,  par- 
ticularly if  syphilis  has  previously  been  present. 

In  this  connection  I  would  like  to  mention  the 
fact  that  there  are  people  who,  when  asked,  will 
admit  that  ten  or  twenty  years  before  they  had  an 
insignificant  lesion,  small  scratch,  or  erosion  on  their 
organ,  but  that  as  nothing  further  happened  they 
paid  no  attention  to  it.  Naturally  such  persons 
are  dumfounded  upon  learning  from  the  result  of 
the  Wassermann  blood  test  that  the  insignificant 
sore  they  had  had  so  many  years  before  meant 
that  they  had  acquired  syphilis. 

It  is  a  strange  and  tragic  fact  that  as  a  rule  it 
is  precisely  these  light  cases,  in  which  syphilis  in 
its  earlier  stages  has  led  to  no  manifestations  what- 
ever, that  are  in  many  instances  the  ones  most  to 
be  feared,  for  they  seem  to  be  predestined  to  de- 

[35] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

velop  the  most  fatal  consequences  of  syphilis,  viz., 
the  serious  degenerative  changes  in  the  blood-vessels 
and  such  terrible  diseases  of  the  nervous  system  and 
brain  as  locomotor  ataxia  and  general  paralysis  of 
the  insane. 

Not  only  the  blood-vessels,  but  even  the  heart 
itself,  may  be  harmed  by  heavy  smoking  continued 
for  many  years,  especially  if  strong  tobacco  has  been 
used. 

Manifestly,  there  is  no  sense  in  delaying  a  warn- 
ing to  these  people  against  the  use  of  tobacco 
until  it  is  already  too  late  and  they  can  no  longer 
be  saved.  Why  postpone  examination  of  the  heart 
and  blood-vessels  until  they  are  suffering  from  the 
most  characteristic  symptoms  of  advanced  arterio- 
sclerosis, together  with  those  ominous  attacks  of 
cardiac  oppression  or  angina  pectoris?  There  can 
be  no  doubt  but  that  these  attacks  of  angina 
pectoris — these  most  dreaded  manifestations  of  ar- 
teriosclerosis— very  often  appear  as  the  heralds  of 
approaching  death.  In  this  I  refer,  of  course,  to 
the  attacks  of  true  angina  pectoris  and  not  the 
attacks  of  pseudo  angina  which  nervous  persons 
sometimes  complain  of. 

Now,  what  I  would  suggest  to  prevent  the  in- 
sidious development  of  these  deplorable  cases  is  that 
every  man  before  he  begins  to  smoke  should  be  ex- 
amined by  a  physician  to  ascertain  whether  he  is  fit 

[36] 


Tobacco 

to  smoke  and  whether  there  is  anything  in  the  con- 
dition of  his  heart  or  blood-vessels  which  would 
contraindicate  his  doing  so.  All  persons  descendant 
from  families  in  which  disease  of  the  blood-vessels 
has  frequently  appeared  should  be  considered  unfit. 
Such  persons  should  likewise  be  considered  unfit  for 
smoking  in  whom  there  are  found,  in  addition,  ir- 
regularities of  heart-action,  which  not  infrequently 
appear  rather  early  in  life  in  the  descendants  of 
such  families,  e.g.,  irregular  pulse,  intermittences, 
a  very  low  or  very  high  pulse  rate,  etc.  Persons 
thus  predisposed  to  arteriosclerosis  can  often  be 
recognized  from  their  external  appearance. 

Especial  caution  as  regards  smoking  is  necessary 
where  there  is  a  history  of  syphilitic  infection,  for 
the  germs  of  syphilis,  the  spirochetes,  establish  them- 
selves by  preference  in  the  blood-vessels  and  there 
exert  their  devastating  influence.  If  with  this  are 
combined  smoking  arid  also  the  consumption  of 
large  amounts  of  spirituous  liquor,  arteriosclerosis 
may  often  set  in  quite  early  in  life;  at  least,  such 
individuals  are  certain  candidates  for  this  disease. 

Where  active  mental  labor  is  performed  in  con- 
junction with  immoderate  smoking,  there  is  a 
marked  tendency,  according  to  my  observations, 
to  the  production  of  arteriosclerosis  of  the  brain. 
With  this  comes  the  danger  of  apoplectic  attacks, 
especially  if  the  mode  of  life  is  imprudent  in 

[37] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

other  respects,  if  inveterate  constipation  exists,  etc. 
Thus,  as  I  have  had  occasion  to  observe,  the  sleep- 
lessness, dizziness,  headache,  and  failure  of  mem- 
ory complained  of  by  heavy  smokers  engaged  in 
hard  mental  labor  are  exceedingly  often  related  to 
a  beginning  arteriosclerosis  of  the  brain,  of  which 
they  constitute  the  initial  symptoms.  This  influ- 
ence of  immoderate  smoking  in  conjunction  with 
hard  mental  labor  upon  the  state  of  the  circulation 
in  the  brain  vessels  may  be  held  to  account  for 
the  fact  that,  as  I  was  able  personally  to  ascertain, 
many  instances  of  previous  heavy  smoking  are  to 
be  found  among  patients  suffering  from  progres- 
sive paralysis.  Aside  from  alcohol,  immoderate 
smoking  thus  plays  a  very  important  role  in  this 
terrible  sequel  of  syphilis,  which  generally  brings 
life  to  a  fearsome  ending  within  a  few  years. 

Thus  the  habit  of  smoking,  if  followed  to  excess 
for  years,  strong  cigars  and  innumerable  cigarettes 
being  used  up  to  the  very  end,  smoking  indulged 
in  on  an  empty  stomach  before  breakfast,  or  short 
pipes  employed — all  conditions  which  distinctly  en- 
hance the  dangers  of  heavy  smoking — is  capable  in 
some  persons  of  promoting  the  development  of  men- 
tal disorders. 

Nevertheless  it  cannot  be  denied  that  smoking 
under  certain  conditions  exerts  a  quieting,  soothing 
effect  on  the  nervous  system,  especially  during  ex- 

[38] 


Tobacco 

citement,  and  thus  greatly  facilitates  mental  work, 
so  that,  e.g.,  many  office  workers,  if  deprived  of 
cigars  or  cigarettes,  are  not  able  to  carry  on  their 
labors  as  easily.  In  spite  of  this  fact,  it  is  advis- 
able to  exercise  great  caution  before  declaring  a 
neurasthenic  qualified  to  smoke,  especially  among 
the  descendants  of  families  in  which  nervous  or 
mental  disturbances  are  the  rule. 

Particularly  unfit  to  smoke  are  the  children, 
upon  whose  delicate  organism  tobacco  exerts  an 
especially  harmful  effect,  even  greatly  impeding 
bodily  growth  and  development.  This  applies  no 
less  to  their  mental  than  to  their  physical  develop- 
ment. In  this  connection  the  observations  of  the 
Dutch  clinician,  Professor  Pel,2  are  highly  instruc- 
tive. There  should  be  a  general  legal  prohibition 
against  the  selling  or  giving  of  tobacco  to  children. 

The  habit  of  smoking  acts  even  more  injuri- 
ously upon  the  delicate  organisms  of  young  girls 
than  it  does  on  boys,  and  yet,  unfortunately,  one 
may  now  observe  this  harmful  habit  gaining  ground, 
doubtless  as  one  of  the  numerous  unpleasant  re- 
sults of  the  late  war.  Smoking  by  women  and  even 
young  girls  must  be  considered  from  a  far  different 
standpoint  than  smoking  by  men,  for  not  only  is  the 
female  organism  by  virtue  of  its  much  more  frail 
structure  and  its  more  delicate  tissues  much  less  able 


2  Pel:  Berlin,  klin.  Wochenschrift,  1911. 

[39] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

to  resist  the  poisonous  action  of  tobacco  than  that 
of  man,  and  thus,  like  many  a  delicate  flower,  apt 
to  fade  and  wither  more  quickly  in  consequence,  but 
the  fecundity  of  woman  is  greatly  impaired  by  it, 
as  tobacco  exerts  a  very  pernicious  influence  on  the 
various  ductless  glands,  including  the  thyroid  gland 
and  the  sex  glands.  In  view  of  the  large  number 
of  men  lost  in  the  late  fearful  war,  the  authorities 
cannot  be  expected  to  look  on  unmoved  while  a 
generation  of  sterile  women,  rendered  incapable  of 
fulfilling  their  sublime  function  of  motherhood,  is 
being  produced  on  account  of  the  immoderate  smok- 
ing of  foolish  young  girls. 

If,  in  addition,  such  girls  and  women  who  are 
smokers  remain  for  long  periods,  e.g.,  entire  after- 
noons, as  is  now  often  the  case,  in  restaurants  filled 
with  tobacco  smoke,  the  injury  to  health  induced  by 
the  smoking  per  se  may  be  further  increased. 

Air  laden  with  tobacco  smoke  in  confined  spaces 
is  capable  of  exerting  a  very  harmful  effect  on 
human  beings  if  they  breathe  it  for  any  length  of 
time.  Such  an  atmosphere,  indeed,  contains  not 
inconsiderable  amounts  of  carbon  monoxide  and 
may  therefore  have  a  definitely  harmful  action. 

This  applies  not  only  to  man,  but  also  to  animals. 
Thus,  the  Dutch  investigator,  Fokker,3  found  that 
if  animals  are  kept  in  such  an  atmosphere  for  merely 

3  Fokker:  Nederlandsche  Tijdschrift  voor  Geneeskunde,  35,  1884. 

[40] 


Tobacco 

one  hour,  demonstrable  amounts  of  carbon  mon- 
oxide may  be  found  in  their  blood.  This  is  doubt- 
less in  some  degree  related  to  the  rather  frequent 
cases  in  which  persons  who  have  been  sitting  for 
a  long  time  gambling  in  crowded  coffee-houses, 
thickly  filled  with  smoke  and  overheated  in  addi- 
tion, suddenly  collapse  and  die.  The  marked  ex- 
citement occasioned  by  the  game  itself,  acting  upon 
a  heart  originally  much  weakened,  doubtless  also 
plays  an  important  role  in  such  instances. 

Among  professional  gamblers  such  sudden  deaths 
are  not  uncommon,  for  in  this  deplorable  and 
irregular  occupation  frequent  and  violent  mental 
emotions  are  unavoidable.  These,  in  turn,  exert  a 
most  unfavorable  influence  upon  the  heart  muscle 
and  the  circulation  in  general.  At  the  same  time, 
staying  for  long  periods  in  rooms  full  of  smoke, 
overheated,  and  often  lacking  the  necessary  amount 
of  oxygen  may  likewise  contribute  toward  a  fata] 
issue. 


[41] 


SEXUAL   INDISCRETION 

\V7HEN  this  universe  was  created,  its  Creator 
paid  special  attention  to  all  things  that  would 
ensure  conservation  of  the  lives  of  mankind  and  of 
the  lower  animals.  This  is  plainly  shown  by  the 
fact  that  he  implanted  in  the  breast  of  every 
creature  two  instincts  which  dominate  it  in  an  over- 
whelming and  irresistible  manner,  holding  it,  as  it 
were,  in  fetters  of  iron,  viz.,  hunger  and  the  sexual 
impulse. 

Of  these  two  instincts  the  latter  would  appear 
to  be  the  more  powerful.  For  a  watch  dog,  if  he 
is  a  dutiful  animal,  will  perhaps  reject  a  most 
delicious  morsel  of  food  and  not  allow  himself  to 
be  tempted  by  it.  But  a  sexual  temptation  is 
certain  to  prove  too  much  for  him  and  lead  him 
completely  to  disregard  his  duties  to  his  master. 

From  this  example  we  see  how  this  instinct  tri- 
umphs over  the  other  and  how  sexual  attraction 
dominates  that  of  the  palate.  It  is  really  a  species 
of  bait  which  nature  offers  to  man  and  animals  in 
order  to  induce  them  to  procreate. 

In  this  we  are  afforded  a  splendid  opportunity 
to  admire  the  great  sagacity  and  admirable  fore- 

[42] 


Sexual  Indiscretion 

sight  with  which  nature  furthers  her  ends.  Satis- 
faction of  the  sexual  appetite  being  connected  with 
great  pleasure,  the  bait  thus  offered  may  lead  to 
an  immoderation  which,  in  its  further  consequences, 
might  perhaps  even  endanger  the  existence  of  the 
whole  of  mankind. 

It  seems,  however,  that  nature  especially  favors 
mankind,  and  that  the  conservation  of  the  human 
race  is  the  object  of  special  care  and  preoccupation 
on  her  part  for  all  that  is  connected  with  it.  For 
instance,  the  structure  of  the  sexual  organs  them- 
selves is  ordered  with  such  foresight  and  wisdom 
that  it  cannot  but  provoke  the  admiration  of  the 
most  impious  materialist. 

Nature  has  found  ways  and  means  to  impose 
moderation  in  sexual  activity.  While  she  dispenses 
pleasure  with  one  hand,  she  knows  also  how  to 
punish  with  the  other.  Through  punishment  of  the 
immoderate,  the  disobedient,  and  the  imprudent,  she 
seeks  to  warn  and  admonish  others.  Thus,  immod- 
erate activity  in  this  direction  often  entails  great 
dangers  to  bodily  health.  It  is  capable  of  leading 
in  women  to  very  serious  disturbances  of  the  sexual 
organs,  with  consequences  highly  prejudicial  to 
their  fertility  and  longevity.  In  fact  it  often 
shortens  their  lives.  In  men,  likewise,  such  im- 
moderation may  produce  serious  changes  in  the 
nervous  system,  and  also,  in  consequence  of  the 

[43] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

close  relationship  between  the  nervous  system  and 
circulatory  apparatus,  the  early  appearance  of 
arteriosclerosis. 

Through  frequent  sexual  intercourse,  especially 
in  the  case  of  single  men,  certain  infectious  dis- 
eases, such  as  gonorrhea,  are  easily  acquired.  In 
such  instances,  nature  may  impose  moderation 
through  the  after  effects  to  which  gonorrhea  some- 
times leads.  For  not  infrequently  the  chronic 
gonorrheal  inflammation  of  the  posterior  portion 
of  the  urethra,  especially  when  the  prostate  gland 
is  involved,  leads  to  a  more  or  less  pronounced 
impotence.  This  occurs  more  easily  in  nervous 
persons,  especially  such  who  had  been  addicted  to 
self-abuse  in  their  younger  years,  or,  it  may  occur 
as  a  species  of  punishment  in  those  who  have  been 
committing  sexual  excesses  through  a  considerable 
period  of  time. 

It  should  be  noted  that  all  kinds  of  sexual  irri- 
tations are  likely  to  produce  a  hyperemic  condition 
of  the  urethra  and  prostate  gland,  and  favor  dis- 
eased conditions  of  these  structures. 

Impotence  may  thus  be  the  result  of  chronic  in- 
flammation, of  undue  irritation,  of  infection,  and 
of  abuses  of  the  reproductive  organs.  If,  then, 
many  a  roue,  in  his  distress  over  his  sexual  weak- 
ness, which  keeps  him  from  enjoying  the  sexual 
pleasures  that  allure  him,  rebels  against  God  and 

[44] 


Sexual  Indiscretion 

nature,  we  have  in  such  an  event  one  reason  more 
to  admire  the  foresight  and  wisdom  of  nature, 
whereby,  while  punishing  the  reckless  and  the  im- 
moderate, she  warns  others  and  thus  prevents  de- 
terioration and  extermination  of  the  human  species. 

For  this  purpose  nature  employs  still  more  for- 
midable deterrents  to  immoderate  and  indiscrimi- 
nate sexual  activity.  While  offering  with  one  hand 
a  cup  of  joy  in  the  shape  of  sexual  pleasure,  she 
holds  in  the  other  a  cup  of  poison  in  exchange  for 
the  pleasures  enjoyed.  She  strikes  the  victim  with 
a  terrible  disease,  consequent  upon  sexual  infec- 
tion, which  leads  to  the  most  excruciating,  cutting, 
boring,  and  fearfully  torturing  pains,  probably  the 
most  severe  of  all  diseases  to  which  human  beings 
are  exposed,  viz.,  tabes  dorsalis  or  locomotor  ataxia. 

This  is  a  sequel  of  syphilis,  and  considering  the 
fearful  pains  it  produces,  there  is  scarcely  any  other 
disease  to  be  compared  with  it.  To  this  day  I  re- 
tain vividly  in  memory  the  fearful  cries  I  heard, 
as  a  boy  of  six  years,  coming  from  a  neighboring 
house,  where  such  a  tabetic  patient  was  writhing 
on  his  sickbed  with  the  most  torturing  kind  of  pains. 

That  which  renders  syphilis  such  a  terrible  dis- 
ease, moreover,  is  not  merely  the  severe  bodily 
pains  it  may  provoke  in  its  aftermath,  as  in  tabes, 
but  also  the  fact,  which  is  still  worse,  that  it  may 
lead  to  insanity.  That  to  which  syphilis  may  lead 

[45] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

can  best  be  realized  when  one  has  had  the  oppor- 
tunity to  see  a  pare  tic  patient  wallowing  like  an 
animal  in  his  own  dejecta.  It  seems  a  tragic  fate 
for  man  that  the  same  agency  which  is  capable  of 
granting  him  the  highest  degree  of  enjoyment 
should  at  the  same  time  lead  him  to  perdition  and 
be  the  source  of  the  severest  tortures  and  of  de- 
struction of  his  body  and  mind. 

Happily  only  a  comparatively  small  number  of 
syphilitics  fall  victims  to  such  an  unfortunate  fate — 
especially  those  amongst  them  who  for  years  have 
been  leading  a  life  of  dissipation,  irregular  habits 
and  debauch,  and  who  at  the  same  time  have  been 
addicted  to  alcohol  and  strong  tobacco. 

But  not  even  all  of  the  remainder  get  off  easily. 

Certain  examinations  by  P.  Schrumpf4  at  the 
Polyclinic  in  Berlin  showed  that  about  10  per  cent, 
of  all  the  patients  who  lay  there  with  different 
kinds  of  internal  diseases  owed  their  malady  to 
syphilis,  which  they  had  contracted  some  time  be- 
fore. Strange  to  note,  a  considerable  number  of 
these  patients  had  no  idea  that  they  had  had  syphilis. 

According  to  the  statistics  of  the  different  life 
insurance  companies,  there  is  scarcely  any  other 
disease  that  shortens  life  so  frequently  in  persons 
of  middle  or  elderly  age  as  syphilis.  Either  by  its 
direct  consequences  or  indirectly,  syphilis  frequently 

4  P.  Schrumpf :  Berlin,  klin.  Wochenschrift,  1918. 

[46] 


Sexual  Indiscretion 

leads  to  premature  death.  Therefore  insurance 
companies  with  reason  demand,  as  a  rule,  a  higher 
premium  from  such  persons,  as  their  chances  as 
regards  longevity  are  considerably  impaired. 

The  disorder  is  ascribed  to  the  small  animalcule, 
the  spirochetes,  which  establish  themselves  by  pre- 
ference in  the  smallest  blood-vessels  and  spread 
along  the  vessels  to  all  the  tissues  of  the  body, 
gaining  a  foothold  therein.  With  the  enormous 
magnification  afforded  by  the  ultramicroscope,  these 
diminutive  beasts  of  prey  can  be  seen  to  at  once 
attack  the  blood  cells  and  destroy  them. 

Or,  perhaps,  the  blame  may  in  many  cases  be 
placed  on  excessive  doses  of  powerfully  acting 
drugs,  introduced  in  repeated  and  prolonged  courses 
of  treatment,  as  though  to  drive  out  the  devil  with 
Beelzebub. 

At  all  events,  the  general  system  in  such  per- 
sons does  not  have  the  same  resisting  power  against 
various  infections  as  that  of  other  individuals,  and 
it  is  not  surprising  that,  as  a  result,  premature 
death  takes  place  in  the  former,  frequently  even 
from  diseases  not  of  such  nature  as  to  threaten  life, 
and  which  would  have  been  easily  withstood  by 
others. 

Thus,  whoever  has  once  contracted  syphilis  often 
continues  to  have  reminders  of  it  throughout  life, 
although  fortunately,  the  severe,  life-shortening  se- 

[47] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

quelse  can  be  guarded  against  by  the  early  use  of 
specific  remedies  in  the  very  first  stage  of  the  dis- 
ease, before  the  whole  of  the  body  has  been  con- 
taminated— and  also  occasionally  in  the  later  stages. 

The  majority  who  are  not  completely  cured,  how- 
ever, are  in  many  instances  exposed  to  premature 
death.  Very  often  this  takes  place  in  an  insidious, 
obscure  manner,  without  any  previous  prolonged 
confinement  to  bed.  How  often  one  hears  of  an 
apparently  healthy  man  of  forty-eight  or  fifty  years 
suddenly  sinking  to  the  floor  while  in  the  midst  of 
a  social  gathering,  and  dying  immediately  after. 
Such  cases  are  nearly  always  instances  of  sudden 
death  the  result  of  arteriosclerosis,  the  commonest 
sequel  of  syphilis  among  the  internal  disorders  to 
which  it  gives  rise. 

Sudden  death  in  this  particular  manner  may  oc- 
cur all  the  more  unexpectedly  in  that  many  per- 
sons are  completely  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  they 
are  infected  with  syphilis  or  have  ever  been  through 
the  disease.  Indeed,  syphilis  not  infrequently  con- 
tinues on  its  course  for  a  long  period,  even  years, 
without  any  apparent  manifestation  of  disease,  or 
with  only  slight  disturbances,  which  are  often  over- 
looked. 

What  makes  syphilis  so  exceedingly  serious  in 
its  consequences  is  the  fact  that  it  is  capable  of 
reacting  harmfully  on  subsequent  generations.  The 

[48] 


Sexual  Indiscretion 

sins  of  the  parents  are  thus  very  often  visited,  as 
stated  in  Holy  Writ,  upon  the  offspring  even  unto 
the  seventh  generation.  Syphilis  has  not  infre- 
quently played  at  least  a  partial  role  in  the  pre- 
mature extinction  of  many  a  proud  and  powerful 
princely  house  with  the  last  male  heir,  and  thus  ex- 
erts its  influence,  no  less  than  does  alcohol,  in  the 
great  realm  of  world  history.  Thus  a  victorious 
general  may  have  contracted  syphilis  in  the  six- 
teenth or  seventeenth  century,  or  a  captain  of 
finance  in  the  eighteenth  or  nineteenth  century, 
and  one  hundred,  two  hundred,  or  more  years  later 
there  may  he  horn  in  the  glorious  lineage  of  the 
general  or  in  the  fabulously  wealthy  family  of  the 
financial  magnate  an  idiotic,  deaf  and  dumb,  or 
otherwise  defective  child,  or  one  who,  while  ap- 
parently having  normal  eyes,  is  unable  to  see  out 
of  them. 

Or,  again,  some  form  of  a  freak  or  cripple  may 
see  the  light  of  day  as  a  silent  accuser  of  the  faults 
of  his  ancestors.  These  fatal  hereditary  influences 
may  become  further  aggravated  through  incest  and 
marriage  among  relatives.  "You  can't  expect  to  see 
a  rose  grow  from  a  repulsive  onion  or  a  hyacinth 
from  a  gray  horseradish,"  as  the  ancient  Greek 
poet,  Theognis  of  Megara,  correctly  remarked. 

How  often  it  happens  that  in  such  families  chil- 
dren are  born  who  are  excessively  nervous,  and  very 

4  [49] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

easily  excited  and  irritated.  Diseases  of  the  mind 
and  nervous  system,  metabolic  disorders  like  dia- 
betes, gout,  obesity,  etc.,  and  likewise  tuberculosis, 
frequently  occur  in  these  families  and  play  havoc 
in  them  through  centuries  of  time.  If,  then,  many 
an  offspring  of  a  highly  aristocratic  or  formerly 
opulent  family  is  found  dying  in  a  lunatic  asylum 
or  poorhouse,  or  mayhap  even  in  prison — lunacy 
and  crime  are  closely  connected — he  may  lay  the 
blame  for  it  on  one  of  his  ancestors  who  met  with 
misfortune  in  one  of  his  love  adventures  or  drank 
heavily. 

Now,  it  is  only  natural  and  altogether  human 
that,  when  we  mortals  meet  with  hard  luck,  we 
should  at  once  begin  to  rail  at  the  cruelties  of 
nature  even  though  all  our  misfortune  and  bad  luck 
is  due  rather  to  ourselves.  Nature  is  not  the  cul- 
prit, nature  has  not  been  cruel,  but  we  have  been 
cruel  to  ourselves  and  to  our  descendants,  trans- 
mitting disease  to  them  as  a  curse  for  centuries. 

We  are  obliged  to  answer  for  all  our  deeds  and 
actions,  not  only  in  what  we  do  to  ourselves,  but 
also  to  those  whom  we  bring  into  this  world,  those 
who  are  blood  from  our  blood  and  flesh  from  our 
flesh.  All  our  good  and  bad  deeds  are  passed  down 
to  them  as  a  kind  of  fatal  inheritance. 

Poor,  deluded  human  being,  that  plunges  head- 
long into  ruin  in  his  intoxication  of  the  senses,  like 

[50] 


Sexual  Indiscretion 

the  moth  into  the  scorching  flame  of  light!  Little 
does  he  reck,  in  his  sensual  intoxication,  that  he  is 
pushing  over  the  precipice  not  only  himself,  but 
also  his  unfortunate  descendants,  and  that  there 
will  remain,  as  his  legacy  to  the  world  and  as  mute 
evidence  of  his  excesses  and  his  love  of  Venus  and 
Bacchus,  a  series  of  cripples,  lunatics,  beggars,  and 
criminals ! 

At  the  moment  he  sees  only  the  joys  of  rapture, 
with  its  arms  alluringly  outstretched  towards  him. 
But  many  years  later,  when  the  pains  of  body  and 
mind  torment  him  and  when  his  innocent  children 
are  dying  at  a  tender  age,  then  he  and  all  his  com- 
panions in  fate  clench  their  fists  toward  heaven,  and 
charge  God,  bountiful  nature,  and  the  entire  crea- 
tion with  being  the  source  of  his  self-inflicted 
misfortune. 

Our  own,  human  short-sightedness  is  evidenced 
in  that  we  only  notice  the  misfortune  which  lies 
immediately  before  us,  and  are  unable  to  grasp  the 
fact  that  all  misfortune  and  all  evil  in  the  world 
is  merely  the  legitimate  end-result,  as  it  were,  of 
a  long  chain  of  evil  or  imprudent  deeds  and  ac- 
tions committed  a  long  time,  even  centuries,  before 
by  us  or  those  of  our  own  flesh  and  blood  whose 
unfortunate  heirs  we  happen  to  be. 

There  is  no  need  to  hold  all-provident  nature 
responsible  for  all  these  things. 

[51] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

I  am  among  those  who  are  entirely  convinced 
that  this  world  has  been  created  with  the  greatest 
possible  wisdom  and  that  everything  in  it  is  dis- 
posed with  the  utmost  care  and  foresight,  as  any 
one  can  readily  see  by  looking  through  a  micro- 
scope into  the  intimate  structure  of  any  of  our 
tissues,  such  as  those  of  the  inner  parts  of  the  eye. 
One  sees  there,  as  in  a  kind  of  kaleidoscope,  won- 
ders untold  passing  before  his  eyes — such  master- 
pieces as  even  the  most  gifted  artists,  including 
even  the  great  masters  of  the  Renaissance,  Leon- 
ardo da  Vinci,  Michael  Angelo,  Raphael,  or  Titian, 
would  be  unable  to  contrive. 

At  the  first  sight,  many  things  that  happen  in 
nature  seem  unintelligible  and  at  times  repulsive 
to  us.  Sometimes  we  are  even  tempted  to  accuse 
nature  of  injustice  or  actual  cruelty.  But  if  we 
take  the  trouble  to  obtain  a  better  insight  into  the 
doings  and  actions  of  nature,  and  search  for  the 
real  reason  for  many  features  and  peculiarities,  and 
the  different  manifestations  of  nature's  activity  that 
at  first  seem  strange  to  us,  we  then  find  at  the 
bottom  of  it  all  the  highest  degree  of  wisdom,  har- 
mony, and  justice.  We  mortals  may  err,  but  those 
who  know  how  to  read  in  the  book  of  nature,  and 
who  are  able  to  understand  the  language  in  which 
she  is  speaking  to  us,  know  best  that  nature  never 
errs. 

[52] 


Sexual  Indiscretion 

Nature  speaks  to  us  in  the  sounds  made  by  ani- 
mals, in  the  buzzing  of  the  insects,  the  singing  of 
the  birds,  and  the  colors  and  odors  of  the  flowers. 
She  speaks  to  us  through  the  instincts  which  govern 
all  our  thoughts  and  actions  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree.  She  speaks  to  us  also  through  the  pains 
she  sends  us,  which  are  the  warning  symptoms  of 
many  diseases  of  the  body  or  mind. 

If  we  disregard  her  warnings,  she  brings  upon 
us  severe  punishments,  in  the  form  of  diseases  which 
are  really  naught  else  but  manifestations  of  her  love 
to  her  children.  I  have  shown  in  my  book,  "Old 
Age  Deferred,"  that  diseases  are,  in  fact,  merely 
the  expression  of  efforts  on  the  part  of  our  body 
to  cure  itself  and  defend  itself  against  poisons  or 
microbes  of  different  kinds,  which  are  removed  or 
destroyed  by  the  disease  manifestations,  such  as 
fever,  sweating,  vomiting,  eruptions,  etc.  Through 
the  distressing  diseases  nature  inflicts  as  well  as 
through  the  disgraceful  end  to  which  many  a  sen- 
suous man  comes  after  contracting  the  terrible  dis- 
orders to  which  sexual  infection  leads,  thousands 
of  the  unwary  are  warned  and  guarded  from  a 
similar  fate. 

Let  us  specify,  however,  what  we  mean  by  sex- 
ual excess.     I  do  not  call  a  man  a  voluptuary— 
and,  indeed,  as  a  physician,  I  would  have  even  the 
less  right  to  do  so — when  the  sexual  instinct  gets 

[53] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

the  upper  hand  over  him  and  he  seeks  to  satisfy 
his  craving.  I  am  not  a  clergyman,  and  as  a  phy- 
sician I  have  neither  the  right  nor  the  wish  nor 
spirit — anything  hypocritical  is  most  abhorrent  to 
me — to  cast  stones  at  him.  By  voluptuousness 
I  mean  exaggeration  in  this  direction,  as  exempli- 
fied in  men  like  Don  Juan,  the  hero  of  the  famous 
opera  of  the  immortal  Mozart. 

His  real  name  was  Don  Miguel  Manara  Vicen- 
tello  de  Leca.  He  belonged  to  the  aristocracy  of 
Spain,  and  was  endowed  by  nature  with  all  the 
gifts  that  seduce  the  soul  and  body  of  woman. 
He  had  great  wealth  and  an  eminently  attractive 
exterior,  and  was  a  regular  dare-devil,  having  no 
fear  nor  scruple  in  obtaining  his  ends,  viz.f  the 
enticement  and  seduction  of  women.  Yet,  not 
satisfied  with  having  triumphed  over  their  virtue 
and  afterwards  abandoned  them,  he  even  killed 
their  relatives  when  they  tried  to  secure  reparation 
by  force  of  arms  in  defending  the  honor  of  their 
families. 

After  he  had  led  this  life  of  debauchery  and  vol- 
upty  for  a  long  time,  repentance  came  upon  him. 
He  obtained  an  insight  into  the  futility,  evanes- 
cence, and  emptiness  of  all  these  worldly  pleasures, 
and  in  this  repentant  mood — and  let  us  hope  that 
he  was  driven  to  it  solely  by  ethical  and  religious 
considerations  and  not  by  physical  necessity — he 

[54] 


Sexual  Indiscretion 

entrusted  to  a  famous  painter,  Valdes  Leal,  the 
task  of  expressing  his  thoughts  in  a  painting. 

Valdes  Leal  created  a  masterpiece. 

If  you  have  read  the  celebrated  works  of  Wash- 
ington Irving  and  ever  visited  that  earthly  paradise, 
Andalusia,  and  in  its  heart,  beautiful  Sevilla,  you 
may  go  to  the  Hospedal  de  la  Caridad  there  and 
see  this  picture,  which  one  of  the  nuns  will  show 
you. 

But  look  at  it  only  if  you  are  a  man  and  your 
nerves  can  stand  it,  and  do  not  look  at  it — for 
heaven's  sake — if  you  are  a  woman!  For  tender 
woman,  I  think,  should  be  as  far  as  possible  spared 
such  terrible  sights.  The  average  woman  should 
see  only  the  sunny  side  of  our  life,  and  not  the 
side  in  which  shade  and  darkness  prevail. 

When  the  nun  removes  the  veil  from  the  picture 
one  starts  back  in  horror.  One  sees  there  the 
bodies — indeed  mainly  the  heads — of  two  persons, 
in  a  state  of  complete  decay  and  putrefaction,  and 
so  natural  is  the  sight  that,  as  the  famous  painter, 
Murillo,  remarked,  one  feels  tempted  to  put  his 
fingers  to  his  nose  to  exclude  the  horrible  odor  ex- 
haled from  the  putrefying  remains.  Innumerable 
worms  are  swarming  in  the  putrescent  flesh,  crawl- 
ing out  from  all  its  pores.  In  the  background  is 
to  be  seen  a  heap  of  skulls,  and  above  the  picture 
is  the  inscription:  Finis  gloria?  mundi. 

[55] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

These  two  bodies,  covered  with  a  magnificent 
cloth  as  far  as  the  head,  had  belonged,  while  in  life, 
to  the  mightiest  men  of  the  earth.  The  one  was  a 
ruler  of  the  things  of  this  world,  the  other  a  ruler 
of  the  things  of  the  world  to  come;  the  one,  a 
commander  of  the  bodies,  the  other,  of  the  souls; 
the  one,  reigning  over  things  material,  the  other, 
over  things  spiritual.  The  one  was  a  king,  the 
other,  a  bishop. 

But  only  when  they  were  living. 

For  after  their  death,  in  putrefaction  their  bodies 
looked  exactly  the  same,  and  were  just  as  much 
devoured  by  the  worms,  as  that  of  the  least  beggar 
or  outcast  could  have  been.  Worms  feed  on  kings 
and  beggars  alike.  Finis  glorice  mundi! 

Reference  is  here  made  to  this  horrible  picture 
merely  to  present  another  instance  of  the  admirable 
foresight  shown  by  nature  in  all  her  actions. 

Putrefaction  may  be  a  horrible  sight  to  our  eyes 
and  offensive  to  our  nostrils,  and  yet  it  is  these 
putrescent  matters  that  are  likely  to  produce  the 
choicest  scents  and  the  finest  aromas  in  flowers  and 
fruits,  for  which  they  constitute  the  best  fertilizers. 

Indeed,  putrefaction  is  the  necessary  condition 
for  the  creation  of  new  life;  for,  as  a  much  quoted 
dramatic  proverb  says:  "New  life  arises  from  the 
ruins."  Death  and  putrefaction  precede  the  crea- 
tion of  new  life.  Through  putrefaction  the  dif- 

[56] 


Sexual  Indiscretion 

ferent  particles,  molecules,  and  atoms  of  which  each 
body  is  composed  are  set  free,  their  liquid  as  well 
as  their  solid  parts  pass  into  the  soil  and  are  there 
taken  up  by  the  plants  and  enter  into  their  struc- 
ture, and  when  these  are  eaten  by  animals,  may 
become  flesh  again.  A  constant  circulation  of  these 
matters  thus  takes  place,  life  being,  indeed,  naught 
other  than  the  continuous  transformation  and  mi- 
gration of  different  substances,  which  disappear  and 
later  come  to  life  again. 

If  the  rich  of  this  earth,  not  satisfied  with  the 
immortality  of  their  souls  taught  by  religion,  should 
like  also  to  insure  the  perpetuation  of  the  substances 
of  which  their  bodies  are  composed,  they  should 
prefer  to  be  buried  in  the  soil  like  the  poor  instead 
of  enclosing  their  bodies  in  sarcophagi  or  having 
them  cremated,  thus  consigning  them  to  eternal 
annihilation ! 

After  this  long  digression  from  the  subject  of 
sexual  indiscretion  to  that  of  putrefaction,  there 
may  be  a  few  who  will  think  that  these  two  sub- 
jects are  not  entirely  foreign  to  one  another. 

But  let  us  return  to  our  original  subject. 

Voluptuousness  is,  as  above  explained,  an  exag- 
geration of  the  instinct  planted  by  nature  in  the 
breast  of  every  creature — man,  animals  and  even 
plants — to  procreate  its  kind.  This  instinct  craves 
satisfaction,  but  the  latter  should  be  permitted  only 

[57] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

within  reasonable,  i.e.,  physiological,  limits,  as  is 
more  fully  specified  in  the  chapters  on  sexual  life 
and  its  abnormalities,  in  my  book,  "Old  Age 
Deferred." 

While  nature  has  implanted  in  man  this  desire 
which  is  frequently  the  cause  of  his  ruin,  she  has 
also,  by  imparting  to  him  a  higher  degree  of  rea- 
soning power,  placed  in  his  hands  the  means  of 
moderating  it  and  keeping  it  within  bounds.  Since, 
however,  human  prudence  is  incapable  of  getting 
the  better  of  sexual  desire  and  pruriency,  she  has 
brought  into  play  an  influence  which  had  been  in 
existence  a  very  long  time  before — even  before  the 
human  race  made  its  appearance  on  the  earth. 

As  the  Holy  Writ  teaches,  in  harmony  with 
findings  of  exact  science,  man  was  created  only 
after  the  animals  had  already  been  in  existence. 
Among  the  latter  were  a  number  of  species,  e.g., 
many  kinds  of  birds,  that  lived  in  strict  marital 
relationship,  with  but  one  female  to  each  male,  that 
is,  in  a  state  of  monogamy.  Even  now  the  stork 
may  serve  to  many  human  beings  as  a  model 
example  of  the  good  husband. 

As  it  is  not  possible,  however,  for  every  human 
being  to  enter  into  matrimony,  and  while  not  every 
one  can  muster  the  will  power  to  control  this  form 
of  desire,  he  may  at  least  remove  with  some  degree 
of  security  the  serious  risks  attending  gratification 

[58] 


Sexual  Indiscretion 

by  observing  cleanliness — a  measure  of  which  na- 
ture, in  her  living  creations,  affords  a  number  of 
instructive  examples,  and  which  has  been  originally 
instilled  by  her  into  every  animal. 

Even  the  hog  is  a  cleanly  animal.  It  would  cer- 
tainly not  wallow  in  the  mud  if  it  had  clean  water 
at  its  disposal  for  its  daily  bath.  It  is  just  as  fond 
of  its  daily  bath  as  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  high 
estate,  and  when  clean  water  is  not  supplied  to  it 
for  the  purpose,  even  puts  up  with  the  dirty  water. 

Now  a  very  simple,  and  very  often  effective, 
measure  against  venereal  infection  is  thorough  local 
cleansing  immediately  after  sexual  congress,  espe- 
cially if  the  cleansing  is  carried  out  with  antiseptic 
agents  such  as  potassium  permanganate,  or  better, 
as  concerns  syphilis,  with  a  weak  solution  of  corro- 
sive sublimate. 

During  the  late  world  war,  as  regimental  sur- 
geon, I  had  under  observation  many  thousands  of 
artillerymen,  and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  were 
vigorous  young  men,  it  was  only  very  rarely  that 
I  encountered  a  single  case  of  syphilitic  infection, 
as  they  were  most  strongly  admonished  to  employ 
the  precautionary  measure  above  referred  to.  When 
a  case  of  disease  came  under  observation,  it  was, 
as  a  rule,  accounted  for  by  inattention  to  the  in- 
structions given  as  to  cleanliness. 

[59] 


UNCLEANLINESS 

IN  the  third  year  of  the  late  war  I  was  ordered 
by  my  superiors  to  take  measures  to  check  an 
epidemic  of  typhoid  fever  that  had  broken  out 
in  Uzsok,  in  the  Carpathians,  the  scene  of  the 
great  battle  between  the  Russian  and  Austro-Hun- 
garian  forces.  The  task  that  lay  before  me  was 
to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  infection  by  all  means 
at  my  disposal.  With  this  end  in  view  I  gave  to  all 
the  troops  under  my  command  as  sanitary  officer 
strict  orders  that  each  man  should  wash  his  hands 
thoroughly  before  and  after  each  meal.  This  order 
was  based  upon  the  fact  that,  as  proved  by  the 
researches  of  bacteriologists,  the  germs  that  give 
rise  to  typhoid  and  certain  other  infectious  diseases, 
such  as  cholera  and  dysentery,  contaminate  the 
hands  and  are  conveyed  by  them  to  the  mouth  and 
digestive  tract,  thus  bringing  on  the  diseases  men- 
tioned. 

Ages  ago,  thousands  of  years  before  science  had 
proved  with  the  aid  of  the  microscope  the  existence 
of  microbes  that  carry  infection  by  direct  contact, 
there  were  great,  wise  men,  such  as  Moses  and 
Mohammed,  who  had  a  kind  of  presentiment  of  the 

[60] 


Uncleanliness 

existence  of  such  noxious  germs,  and  who  seem 
with  prophetic  vision  to  have  suspected  that  prob- 
ably all  infections  took  place  through  such  agencies. 
At  least,  the  Old  Testament  mentions  a  fact 
which  permits  us  to  suppose  that  the  great  prophet 
of  the  Israelitic  faith,  who  is  also  revered  by  the 
Mohammedan  creed  as  one  of  their  saints,  viz., 
Moses,  suspected  the  connection  between  direct  con- 
tact and  subsequent  infection.  He  issued  the  order 
that  the  dejecta  of  each  person  should  be  buried 
outside  the  camp,  and  that  in  case  an  epidemic  broke 
out  in  one  place,  nobody  from  that  place  should  be 
allowed  to  visit  another  camp.  He  also  gave  in- 
structions as  regards  the  frequent  cleansing  of  the 
body  through  the  ritual  ablutions.  Like  so  many 
others  of  the  best  teachings  of  Moses  and  of  Jesus 
Christ,  Mohammed  took  these  over  into  the  creed 
founded  by  him  and  even  improved  upon  them  by 
commanding  the  faithful  to  carry  out  a  whole  series 
of  ablutions  each  day.  I  remember  having  seen 
among  the  attendants  of  the  Shah  of  Persia,  Mu- 
zaffer  Eddin,  whom  I  treated  in  1902  in  Carlsbad 
and  rather  often  accompanied  on  his  walks,  a  man 
who  always  carried  with  him  a  silver  receptacle 
filled  with  water  and  a  clean  towel.  Each  time  the 
Shah  partook  of  any  food  on  the  way  or  left  off 
his  journey  for  any  other  purpose  this  man  stepped 
forward  and  the  Shah  washed  his  hands. 

[61] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Aside  from  the  infectious  diseases  already  men- 
tioned, many  others  may  be  transmitted  with  the 
dirt  on  the  hands  and  lead  to  premature  death. 

Many  persons  have  the  hahit,  beneficial  for  the 
circulation  of  blood  in  the  nose  but  repulsive  from 
the  esthetic  standpoint,  of  digging  around  in  their 
noses  with  their  fingers.  A  small  wound  or  abra- 
sion at  the  nasal  orifice  may  readily  be  produced  in 
this  way.  Now  if  the  germ  of  erysipelas  is  present 
on  the  soiled  fingers  this  disease  may  become  estab- 
lished. In  the  face  such  an  occurrence  is  especially 
serious  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  infection  may 
extend  to  the  scalp  and  this,  in  turn,  lead  to  an 
almost  invariably  fatal  inflammation  of  the  brain 
membranes  through  passage  of  the  agent  of  the  in- 
flammation through  the  scalp  and  the  bony  plate 
covering  the  brain. 

Some  years  ago  one  of  my  colleagues  in  Carlsbad 
scratched  open  a  small  incised  boil  on  his  neck. 
Erysipelas  set  in,  and  subsequently  meningitis,  and 
the  victim  succumbed,  though  in  the  prime  of  life. 

While  erysipelas,  fortunately,  does  not  always  re- 
sult from  such  practices,  yet  the  scratching  of  the 
skin  with  soiled  hands  on  account  of  itching  very 
often  gives  rise  to  troublesome  furuncles  or  inflam- 
mation of  the  cellular  tissues,  and  indeed,  not  very 
rarely  to  pyemia  or  septic  poisoning,  with  fatal 
termination.  My  own  mother's  life,  unfortunately, 

[62] 


Uncleanliness 

was  lost  in  this  very  way;  she  died  when  only  fifty- 
three  years  of  age. 

From  all  this  we  see  how  absolutely  necessary  it 
is  to  keep  one's  hands  always  clean  and  wash  them 
frequently  during  the  day.  When  I  was  in  charge 
of  a  section  of  the  military  hospital  at  Ungvar, 
Upper  Hungary,  in  1916,  many  soldiers  came  for 
treatment  on  account  of  boils,  cellulitis,  and  open 
sores.  Where  large  numbers  of  vigorous  young  men 
are  quartered  in  old  buildings  which  have  previously 
been  used  by  others  for  hospital  purposes  it  often 
happens  that  they  are  attacked  by  blood-sucking 
insects  such  as  fleas  and  bedbugs.  The  violent  itch- 
ing that  results  leads  to  much  scratching,  and  on 
account  of  the  dirty  hands  collections  of  pus  in  the 
tissues  of  the  skin  and  the  underlying  cellular 
tissues  are  formed.  I  gave  orders  that  all  such 
soldiers  as  were  found  in  the  clinic  or  at  the  fre- 
quent daily  examinations  with  dirty  hands  or  feet 
should  be  reported  for  punishment.  The  result  was 
that  after  that  fresh  boils  or  abscesses  were  reduced 
to  a  very  low  number. 

Every  person  should  be  taught  the  need  of  ha- 
bitually keeping  his  hands  clean,  from  childhood  on. 
As  I  personally  observed,  in  the  educational  insti- 
tution for  children  in  Milan,  conducted  according 
to  the  teachings  of  Dr.  Montessori,  each  child  takes 
daily  turns  in  washing  the  hands  of  the  other  chil- 

[63] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

dren,  thus  becoming  all  the  more  accustomed  to 
frequent  washing  of  his  own  hands. 

Frequent  washing  of  the  feet,  at  least  once  a 
day,  is  also  to  be  regarded  as  necessary.  Where  it 
is  not  practicable  for  every  person  to  take  a  full 
bath  each  day,  he  should  at  least  bathe  his  feet 
immediately  after  rising  or  before  going  to  bed.  If 
there  is  not  enough  hot  water  at  his  disposal  for 
the  purpose,  he  should  at  any  rate  rub  them  down 
with  a  wet  towel.  In  the  Orient,  washing  of  the 
feet  has  been  practised  from  the  earliest  times,  as 
we  may  read  in  the  Scriptures,  which  describe  how 
a  foot  bath  is  offered  the  first  thing  to  every  newly 
arrived  guest. 

Among  the  ancient  Egyptians  it  was  likewise  the 
custom  to  have  the  feet  of  every  guest  washed  be- 
fore beginning  a  meal.  Even  though  this  was  very 
appropriate  in  view  of  the  habit  prevailing  in  those 
times  of  going  bare-footed  or  wearing  sandals,  it 
seems  really  all  the  more  necessary  now  because  of 
the  fact  that  on  account  of  wearing  socks  and  air- 
tight leather  footgear  all  the  greater  opportunity 
is  given  for  the  accumulation  of  dirt,  and  proper 
airing  of  the  feet,  which  are  abundantly  supplied 
with  sweat  glands  and  sebaceous  glands,  is  rendered 
impossible. 

Nature  herself  actually  teaches  man  cleanliness 
in  the  examples  of  it  afforded  in  the  lower  animals. 

[64] 


Uncleanliness 

Thus,  we  note  how  the  cat  licks  her  coat  and  care- 
fully cleans  the  coats  of  her  young  almost  daily. 
This  form  of  self-cleansing  of  the  body  may  be 
observed  in  many  species  of  animals.  Even  flies, 
which  often  seek  their  food  in  most  disgusting  filth, 
take  care  to  cleanse  their  feet,  with  which  they  may 
do  much  harm,  even  to  human  beings,  in  the  hy- 
gienic sense. 

For  the  benefit  of  people  who  keep  their  houses 
in  an  unclean  condition,  I  might  mention  by  way 
of  contrast  the  birds,  which,  like  the  swallows, 
carefully  remove  all  dirt  from  their  nests,  and 
many  species  of  birds  that  have  shallow  nests  even 
teach  their  young  to  eliminate  their  excreta  to  the 
exterior. 

Uncleanly  persons  may  learn  a  very  great  deal 
from  the  bees.  Bees  tolerate  no  dirt  in  their  habi- 
tations and  carry  all  forms  of  excreta,  moulds,  and 
dead  bees  outside  of  the  hive. 

Before  the  bees  take  up  a  new  dwelling  place, 
the  first  thing  they  do  is  to  clean  it  thoroughly  and 
free  it  of  all  dirt  and  dust.  To  all  those  persons 
who  never  air  their  living  rooms  and  are  always 
breathing  the  corrupted  air  in  them,  thus  exposing 
themselves  to  life-shortening  diseases  due  to  bac- 
teria, such  as  tuberculosis,  the  bees  also  afford  a 
wholesome  example.  In  every  hive  certain  bees  are 
charged  with  the  duty  of  securing  ventilation,  which 

s  [  65  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

they  do  by  executing  fanning  movements  with  their 
wings,  often  continuously  for  as  long  as  twenty-five 
minutes,  in  order  to  keep  the  air  fresh  and  prevent 
its  becoming  overheated.  Among  the  bumble  bees, 
again,  a  worker  stands  at  one  of  the  ventilating 
openings  in  the  roof  of  the  nest  first  thing  in  the 
morning  and  fans  out  the  foul  air  that  has  accumu- 
lated in  the  structure  overnight.  The  bees  and 
bumble  bees  have  an  even  more  delicate  and  sensi- 
tive olfactory  apparatus  than  man,  and  this  ap- 
paratus is  more  readily  offended  by  foul  odors  than 
the  organ  of  smell  of  many  human  subjects,  which 
is  less  sensitive  and  therefore  more  tolerant  of  them. 

Keeping  the  body  clean  and  living  in  pure, 
wholesome  air  is  absolutely  necessary  if  we  are  to 
avoid  exposing  ourselves  to  any  of  the  numerous 
infectious  diseases,  the  germs  of  which  occur  in 
myriads  everywhere  over  unclean  skin  or  in  con- 
taminated air. 

How  greatly  the  keeping  of  the  body  clean  is 
capable  of  warding  off  all  manner  of  infections, 
even  after  wounds,  was  shown  by  experiences  in 
the  late  war.  It  is  also  related  of  the  Japanese  in 
connection  with  the  Russo-Japanese  war  that  they 
seldom  became  infected  after  wounds  because  the 
soldiers  were  compelled  to  bathe  before  every  battle 
and  their  uniforms  were  kept  clean.  Similar  re- 
ports are  made  of  the  Turkish  soldiers  during  the 

[66] 


Uncleanliness 

world  war,  their  wounds  healing  quickly.  In  this 
case,  of  course,  aside  from  cleanliness,  the  results 
were  also  promoted  by  the  important  circumstance 
that  the  devout  Mussulmans  followed  the  wise  di- 
rection of  their  prophet  not  to  take  any  spirituous 
liquors.  Such  liquors,  if  taken  daily  or  frequently, 
reduce  the  intrinsic  resisting  power  of  our  bodies 
against  infection,  a  power  conferred  upon  us  by 
beneficent  Nature. 


[67] 


VI 

AMBITION 

IF  the  average  length  of  human  life  were  at  least 

a  hundred  years,  I  could  readily  understand  why 
so  many  people  work  day  and  night,  amidst  the 
greatest  privations,  with  much  suffering,  groaning 
and  lamenting,  merely  in  order  to  lay  aside  a  sum 
sufficient  to  permit  them  to  enjoy  life  for  a  span 
of  years  more,  free  of  care  and  sorrow. 

But  as  things  are,  alas,  human  life  does  not  ex- 
ceed, on  the  average,  three  or  four  score  years — 
three  score  and  ten,  as  the  Holy  Scripture  says — 
and  so,  unhappily,  it  is  given  only  to  a  very  few, 
and  rarely  to  those  who  work  the  hardest,  amid 
strain  and  stress,  to  enjoy  their  saved-up  wealth 
for  a  long  period. 

Indeed,  there  are  so  very  many  who,  while  on  the 
road  to  a  happy  and  restful  evening  of  life,  fall 
victims  to  their  duties  and  vocation  long  before  they 
reach  the  harbor  they  have  so  long  been  wishing 
for. 

Entirely  given  up  to  their  work  and  vocations, 
they  fail  to  pay  any  attention  to  their  health  or  to 
the  requirements  of  bodily  hygiene.  And  from 
personal  observation  I  know  that  in  no  country  of 

[68] 


Ambition 

the  world  is  this  the  case  to  such  an  extent  as 
among  the  business  men  of  America. 

Thus,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  continuous  wear 
and  tear,  the  overwork  and  great  fatigue  without 
subsequent  rest,  end  their  lives  at  a  relatively  early 
age.  Many  young  people  working  in  badly  ven- 
tilated rooms,  for  instance,  without  due  attention 
to  the  principles  relating  to  a  rational  and  fortify- 
ing diet,  and  never  taking  walks  in  the  open  air  to 
allow  of  free  expansion  of  their  lungs  and  an  ade- 
quate supply  of  oxygen  to  their  system,  readily  de- 
velop tuberculosis. 

Many  other  persons,  as  soon  as  they  get  to  be 
forty  years  of  age  or  somewhat  older,  though  some- 
times even  before  that  time,  develop  a  high  blood- 
pressure  and  die  of  arteriosclerosis  when  only  mid- 
dle aged — a  consequence  of  the  never-ending  stress 
to  which  they  have  been  exposed  by  the  chase  after 
the  almighty  dollar.  To  this  purpose  they  have  de- 
voted all  their  thoughts  and  every  minute  of  their 
time,  working  and  toiling  without  reasonable  inter- 
ruptions for  rest  and  repose. 

There  are  hundreds  and  thousands  of  American 
business  men  who  never  take  the  time  to  enjoy  a 
walk  amid  the  wonders  of  nature  or  a  rest  after 
the  day's  toil. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  entire  disregard  of 
the  most  elementary  requirements  of  hygiene,  their 

[69] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

minds  being  entirely  taken  up  by  their  ambition  to 
acquire  great  wealth,  sends  them  to  an  early  grave. 

In  this  we  see  another  instance  of  the  manner  in 
which  nature  avenges  herself  when  a  correct  meas- 
ure in  all  things  is  not  kept.  Even  ambition,  other- 
wise rather  a  pleasant  stimulant  in  our  prosaic  daily 
life,  and  which  really  makes  life  worth  while  for 
many  of  us,  must  be  bridled  and  kept  within  rea- 
sonable bounds.  I  must  admit,  however,  that  to  a 
certain  category  of  men,  those  specially  favored 
from  heaven  with  extraordinary  gifts  of  the  intel- 
lect, those  who  harbor  an  inward  impulse  to  strive 
for  the  highest  ideals,  such  moderation  is  very  hard 
to  observe. 

To  those  whom  divine  benevolence  has  granted 
extraordinary  abilities  and  even  genius,  it  is  indeed 
an  impossible  task  not  to  consecrate  themselves  with 
all  their  souls  and  all  the  energy  they  are  capable 
of  to  their  vocations  and  special  provinces,  their 
minds  being  directed  incessantly,  day  and  night,  to 
new  inventions  or  problems.  And  so  there  must 
necessarily  happen  to  them  rather  often  what  hap- 
pened to  Icarus,  of  whose  tragic  fate  mythology 
tells  us,  when  he  attempted  to  fly  up  in  the  heavens 
with  his  artificial  wings.  Owing  to  the  heat  of  the 
sun's  rays  as  he  drew  nearer  to  it,  his  wings  were 
melted,  and  he  fell  and  lost  his  young  life. 

It  is  a  tragic  fact  that  great  geniuses  seldom 

[70] 


Ambition 

reach  an  advanced  age.  The  fate  of  the  great 
princes  of  music,  Mozart,  Beethoven,  Schubert, 
and  Chopin,  exemplifies  this  fact. 

Precisely  the  same  is  true  of  the  great  scholars 
and  inventors.  I  have  already  directed  attention 
to  the  frequency  with  which  great  scholars  and  also 
widely  known  business  men  acquire  hardening  of 
the  blood-vessels  of  the  brain  as  a  result  of  their 
continuous  mental  efforts  without  subsequent  rest 
and  relaxation.  Such  men  suffer  apoplectic  attacks 
and  often  die  when  comparatively  young. 

How  sad  it  is,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  star 
of  many  an  inventor  and  discoverer,  unrecognized 
in  life  and  cheated  out  of  his  expectations  and 
hopes,  rises  only  above  his  grave!  His  is  very  often 
a  sad  fate.  Too  often  he  is  exposed  to  disappoint- 
ments and  deceptions  of  all  kinds,  and  must  fight 
for  his  views  and  convictions  against  others  and 
combat  adverse  and  erroneous  opinions.  How  of- 
ten it  happens  that  other  investigators  try  to  steal 
his  invention,  or  claim  it  to  be  their  own  and  dis- 
pute his  priority! 

Now  if  we  consider  that  in  many  men  of  a  ner- 
vous and  excitable  disposition  even  merely  a  lively 
discussion  is  apt  to  cause  palpitation  of  the  heart, 
rise  of  blood  pressure,  and  sometimes  even  a  tem- 
porary arrest  of  the  heart,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  in  such  persons  arteriosclerosis  and  old  age 

[71] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

in  general  may  make  their  appearance  early;  or 
even,  likewise,  disease  of  the  mind,  if  there  should 
be  present  a  predisposition  for  it  through  inherit- 
ance or  from  any  other  cause. 

Among  the  great  pioneers  of  the  physical  sci- 
ences, Sir  Humphrey  Davy  and  Faraday,  arterio- 
sclerosis of  the  brain  developed  at  an  early  age. 
Indeed,  Sir  Humphrey  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-one 
after  an  apoplectic  attack.  Faraday  already  in  the 
forties  showed  symptoms  of  arteriosclerosis  of  the 
brain,  vfe.t  headaches,  cerebral  pressure  sensations, 
dizziness,  and  a  considerable  loss  of  memory.  So 
forgetful  was  he  that  once,  having  worked  for  two 
weeks  on  a  certain  problem,  he  found  out  by  acci- 
dent that  only  a  few  months  before  he  had  already 
worked  out  the  same  thing.  He  had  absolutely  for- 
gotten all  about  it.  Neither  he  nor  Sir  Humphrey 
Davy  ever  knew  an  hour's  rest  until  they  broke 
down  from  overwork.  Faraday  became  so  forget- 
ful in  his  fifties  that  often  he  could  not  spell  a 
word  correctly. 

That  such  great  inventors  and  discoverers  fre- 
quently fall  victims  to  a  sad  fate  cannot  surprise 
those  who  know  how  impractical  they  are  as  re- 
gards the  questions  of  every-day  life.  Often  they 
die  in  poverty,  while  others  make  large  fortunes 
out  of  the  fruits  of  their  brains — the  inventions 
and  discoveries  they  have  made. 

[72] 


Ambition 

It  seems  as  if  fate  herself  desired  cruelly  to 
persecute  those  who,  with  their  great  minds,  find 
out  the  important  secrets  of  nature,  previously 
concealed,  which  they  then  apply  to  the  benefit  of 
all  mankind. 

But  even  mankind,  let  us  hasten  to  state,  is  most 
ungrateful  to  the  great  inventors  and  discoverers, 
who  often  sink  prematurely  to  their  graves  with  a 
broken  heart. 

I  shall  here  describe  the  tragic  fate  of  two  great 
pioneers  as  striking  examples  of  the  fate  that 
awaits  such  great  men: 

Ignace  Philip  Semmelweis,  a  Hungarian  born  in 
Budapest  in  1811,  was  the  discoverer  of  the  true 
nature  of  puerperal  sepsis  (childbed  fever)  which 
until  his  time  carried  off  yearly  many  thousands  of 
unfortunate  mothers.  Until  the  year  1846  an  enor- 
mous mortality  prevailed  in  the  obstetrical  wards 
of  Vienna,  the  largest  in  Europe  at  that  time.  So 
great  was  the  mortality  that,  among  the  women 
that  lay  there  in  childbed,  as  many  as  one  out  of 
five,  sometimes  even  one  out  of  three,  succumbed. 
Semmelweis  conceived  the  idea  that  it  must  be  the 
doctors  and  students  of  the  clinic,  who  also  per- 
formed the  autopsies  at  the  adjacent  pathological 
institute  and  often  examined  the  women  immedi- 
ately after  completion  of  an  autopsy,  that  were  re- 
sponsible for  the  infection.  A  tragic  accident  which 

[73] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

then  happened  confirmed  him  in  his  conviction.  Dr. 
Kolletschka,  Professor  of  Medical  Jurisprudence, 
was  wounded  in  the  finger  by  a  medical  student 
while  dissecting,  and  died  after  showing  exactly  the 
same  symptoms  as  the  women  with  puerperal  sepsis. 
Semmelweis  then  insisted  that  before  each  examina- 
tion the  hands  should  be  washed  with  chlorine  solu- 
tion. Immediately,  the  mortality  dropped  below  1 
per  cent.  When  Semmelweis  thereupon  published 
his  monograph  on  the  infectious  origin  of  puerperal 
sepsis  he  was  laughed  at  and  attacked  from  all 
sides,  and  in  consequence  even  lost  his  position  at 
the  university.  They  completely  tabooed  him.  Even 
Virchow  went  as  far  as  to  say  of  him,  "the  fellow 
is  simply  speculating!" 

It  was  also  due  to  Virchow,  the  great  pathologist, 
that  the  recognition  of  the  antediluvial  existence  of 
man  was  delayed  for  twenty  years.  He  maintained 
that  the  characteristic  signs  presented  by  the  skulls 
of  prehistoric  men  were  of  a  pathological  nature, 
and  due  merely  to  disease.  But  when  similar  skulls 
were  found  at  points  far  distant  from  one  another, 
as  in  France,  Croatia,  and  Germany,  with  exactly 
the  same  characteristic  signs,  then  this  great  path- 
ologist had  to  cease  his  stubborn  resistance  and  give 
in. 

I  believe  that  if  there  is  anything  that  will 
displease  God,  it  must  be  when  those  who  are  on 

[74] 


Ambition 

the  highest  steps  of  the  ladder  look  down  with  con- 
tempt upon  those  who  are  climbing  up  under  dif- 
ficulties, and  try  rather  to  throw  them  off  than  to 
cheer  and  assist  them. 

As  a  result  of  the  constant  attacks  upon  him 
and  the  continual  fighting,  Semmelweis  became 
mentally  affected  and  had  to  be  placed  in  a  luna- 
tic asylum.  He  died  there  fourteen  days  later,  and 
through  the  irony  of  fate  he  succumbed  to  exactly 
the  same  disease  he  had  been  combating  all  his  life, 
septic  fever,  in  consequence  of  infection  of  a  small 
wound  on  his  finger. 

The  fate  of  another  great  discoverer  was  no  bet- 
ter: Robert  Mayer,  who  discovered  the  natural  law 
of  the  conservation  of  energy.  He  made  his  first 
observation  on  this  subject,  which  rendered  his  name 
famous,  when  a  young  doctor.  On  board  a  ship 
lying  in  the  harbor  of  Batavia  he  had  occasion  to 
perform  venesection  on  the  arm  of  a  shipmate,  and 
was  surprised  to  find  that  the  blood  in  the  vein  was 
as  red  as  that  in  the  arteries,  owing  to  the  influ- 
ence of  the  tropical  climate.  This  led  him  to  his 
great  discovery.  Publishing  his  observations  and 
upholding  his  theories,  he  was  attacked  from  all 
sides,  and  had  to  fight  bitterly  for  recognition.  This 
had  disastrous  consequences  on  his  mind,  for  in  an 
attack  of  insanity  he  committed  suicide  by  jumping 
from  a  window  to  the  street.  "Le  risque  du  me- 

[75] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

tier,"  the  Frenchman  would  say,  commenting  on 
this  tragic  fate  of  inventors  and  discoverers. 

But  even  if  not  all  inventors  and  discoverers  are 
as  unfortunate  as  these  two  men,  they  all  have  to 
put  up  with  the  irony  and  satire  of  their  "grate- 
ful" fellowmen.  When  Galvagni  was  addressing 
the  Medical  Society  of  Bologna  on  his  discovery  of 
the  galvanic  current  through  his  memorable  experi- 
ment with  the  electrified  leg  of  a  frog,  his  col- 
leagues greeted  him  with  incredulous  laughter.  He 
was  nicknamed  "the  frog's  dancing  master." 

Harvey,  the  discoverer  of  the  circulation  of  the 
blood,  was  received  with  scorn  and  derision  by  his 
colleagues. 

The  inventor  of  the  procedure  of  percussion,  Dr. 
Auenbrugger,  of  Vienna,  was  also  ridiculed  and  his 
invention  recognized  only  forty- two  years  later,  just 
before  his  death,  the  famous  French  physician,  Cor- 
visart,  publishing  a  book  on  his  methods. 

So  many  inventors  and  discoverers  do  not  live 
to  see  the  triumph  of  their  discoveries,  and  not  a 
few  of  them  are  driven  to  an  early  grave  by  their 
disappointments  and  the  subsequent  nervous  excite- 
ments and  breakdown!  The  bitter  contest  and  ef- 
forts, the  struggle  for  the  recognition  of  their  ideas 
and  theories,  consume  their  vitality  and  often  lead 
to  their  acquiring  diseases  likely  to  shorten  their 
lives. 

[76] 


Ambition 

The  same  applies  to  political  rivalry,  financial 
speculation,  and  gambling  on  the  exchange.  Many 
a  financier  pays  dearly  for  his  first  million,  as  does 
also  the  politician  who  at  last  attains  the  high  post 
in  the  government  of  his  country  for  which  he  had 
been  bitterly  striving  for  years.  Frequently  arterio- 
sclerosis and  a  weak  heart  constitute  the  price  which 
they  must  pay  for  their  success,  and  often  it  does 
not  take  long  ere  we  read  in  the  papers  a  notice 
that  such  and  such  a  famous  statesman,  or  prince 
of  finance,  or  steel  magnate  or  other  great  business 
man,  has  died  suddenly  of  heart  failure  or  an 
apoplectic  stroke.  Sometimes  they  get  off  rather 
cheaply  if  they  develop  some  disturbance  of  the 
nervous  system,  or  of  general  nutrition,  or  metabo- 
lism, which  is  governed  by  the  nervous  system,  e.g., 
diabetes,  a  disease  most  frequent  amongst  captains 
of  finance,  successful  business  men,  statesmen,  and 
diplomats. 

Now,  I  raise  the  question:  Should  we  give  up 
all  our  ambitions,  our  striving  for  high  honors,  our 
longing  for  inventions  and  discoveries,  our  hopes 
for  imperishable  fame,  simply  because  it  may 
shorten  our  lives  and  expose  us  to  protracted  dis- 
eases? (It  is  true,  however,  that  only  an  im- 
moderate, indomitable  ambition,  great  efforts,  and 
fatigue  without  subsequent  rest  and  recovery,  ex- 
pose us  to  such  dangerous  consequences.) 

[77] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Was  it  not  the  royal  prince,  Gautama  Buddha, 
who  taught  that  the  highest  aim  of  man  is  renun- 
ciation, complete  annihilation,  the  "Nirvana,"  which 
after  all  must  inevitably  come?  From  this  view- 
point, striving  after  high  rank,  honors,  and  dis- 
tinctions is  merely  a  foolish  thing! 

Yet  even  if  it  is  literally  true  that  we  mortals 
are  nothing  but  perambulating  heaps  of  earth  con- 
sisting of  earthy  salts  and  other  temporary  ingredi- 
ents, all  of  which  matter  soon  returns  to  the  earth 
whence  it  came — "pulvis  es  et  in  pulverem  rever- 
teris,"  says  the  Holy  Scripture — our  benevolent 
Creator  has  given  us  an  immortal  mind  which  noth- 
ing can  prevent  from  soaring  to  the  heavens  and 
performing  deeds  that  move  the  whole  world. 

If  we  followed  strictly  the  teachings  of  Buddha, 
the  energy  and  impulse  toward  higher  things  exist- 
ing in  many  men,  the  investigation  of  great  prob- 
lems that  are  occupying  the  minds  of  the  educated 
world,  and  the  ambition  for  new  discoveries  and 
inventions,  in  fact,  all  progress  in  science,  would 
be  nipped  in  the  bud. 

Indeed,  we  may  observe  that  in  the  very  coun- 
tries in  which  Buddha's  religion  has  been  dominant 
scarcely  any  inventions  or  discoveries  of  such  im- 
portance as  to  reach  us  and  match  those  of  Euro- 
peans have  been  made.  Furthermore,  it  may  be 
pointed  out  that  the  nations  in  which  Buddhism 

[78] 


Ambition 

has  been  a  ruling  factor  have  not  been  able  to 
maintain  their  independence  and  develop  the  neces- 
sary strength  to  resist  foreign  invaders.  Thus  we 
see  that  India,  the  cradle  of  Buddhism  and  the 
country  in  which  it  was  the  creed  of  the  majority 
of  the  population,  became  a  vassal  to  other  nations. 

We  may  harbor  admiration  for  the  sublime  teach- 
ings of  the  great  Buddha,  but  let  us  say  at  once 
that  if  we  should  follow  his  teachings  strictly  it 
would  mean  the  end  of  all  joy  in  our  work  and  of 
all  our  energies  and  impulses  to  activity  and  labor. 
They  constitute  an  Utopia  as  compared  to  the  pres- 
ent circumstances  of  life,  and  would  kill  all  ambi- 
tion, in  common  with  the  cruder  teachings  of  the 
Russian  fanatics,  the  Bolshevists.  They  would  mean 
the  end  of  all  individuality. 

No,  such  teachings  may  suit  the  inhabitants  of 
the  East,  but  they  are  certainly  net  in  harmony 
with  the  ways  of  thinking  of  the  western  nations 
and  especially  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  and  are 
quite  contrary  to  their  soul  and  nature.  For  in 
looking  through  the  pages  of  history,  we  see  therein 
the  deeds  to  which  they  were  impelled  by  their  great 
ambition.  In  discoveries  and  inventions,  they  are 
the  leaders  of  the  world!  And  in  regard  to  the 
capacity  for  work,  America  takes  the  lead.  This 
I  know  from  personal  observation,  having  spent 
fourteen  months  in  the  United  States.  I  have  trav- 

[79] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

elled  through  all  of  Europe  and  a  part  of  Africa, 
but  nowhere  have  I  seen  so  much  work  done  day 
by  day  and  so  indefatigably  as  in  America.  Ameri- 
cans are  the  most  industrious  workers  of  all. 

In  this  connection  I  should  like  to  point  out  that 
nature  itself  compels  man  to  work.  And  not  only 
man,  but  even  all  of  the  animals.  I  would  even 
go  so  far  as  to  say  that  to  work  is  a  kind  of 
instinct  implanted  in  man  and  animals  by  nature 
herself.  It  is  a  natural  consequence  of  those  two 
great  instincts,  hunger  and  sexual  desire,  which 
keep  him  irresistibly  under  their  spell.  Even  the 
least  and  most  despised  insect  is  a  worker,  for  he 
is  governed  by  the  same  instincts.  Man  and  ani- 
mals must  work  to  satisfy  their  hunger.  Sexuality 
impels  both  the  male  and  female  of  animals  to  build 
their  homes,  and  when  they  have  begotten  offspring 
they  must  work  to  provide  them  with  food. 

"God  slumbers  in  every  animal,"  says  the  pious 
Mohammedan,  and  therefore  it  is  a  great  sin  against 
God  and  nature  to  kill  an  animal,  even  an  insect, 
unless  one  is  compelled  to  do  so.  A  great  purpose 
in  education  should  be  to  implant  in  every  human 
being,  even  as  a  child,  the  great  truth  that  it  is  a 
sin  to  kill  an  animal,  and  that  through  the  killing 
even  of  a  despised  insect,  in  a  certain  sense  there 
has  been  destroyed  a  worker  intended  by  nature  for 
some  useful  purpose,  the  importance  of  which  we 

[80] 


Ambition 

often  do  not,  with  our  limited  knowledge,  appre- 
hend. Even  the  lowly  housefly,  which  so  often 
spreads  disease,  may  be  useful  in  consuming  all 
kinds  of  refuse,  and  that  despised  animal,  the  rat, 
may  be  of  service,  acting  as  a  kind  of  subterranean 
scavenger. 

Before  we  kill  birds  of  prey,  we  should  consider 
the  fact  that  they  destroy  certain  animals,  such  as 
field  mice,  which  do  harm  to  agriculture.  Let  us 
reflect  that  the  merciful  Creator  embraces  in  His 
love  not  only  ourselves,  narrow-minded  human  be- 
ings that  we  are,  but  likewise  all  animals,  even  the 
most  lowly,  though  some  manifestations  in  nature 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  Creator  showed 
preference  to  man  above  all  animals,  and  favored 
him  in  a  special  way. 

According  to  the  holy  laws  of  the  old  Egyptians, 
the  same  punishment  after  death  will  await  all  those 
who,  in  their  lives,  have  tortured  innocent  animals. 

Since  it  is  our  duty  to  accept  all  good  teachings, 
we  should  also  follow  strictly  one  of  the  wise  pre- 
cepts of  Buddha,  viz.,  that  we  should  not  do  our 
work  simply  for  the  sake  of  the  material  reward 
to  be  expected  from  it.  To  my  mind,  no  man  with 
an  idealistic  way  of  thinking,  and  whose  heart  is 
made  of  flesh  and  not  of  stone,  does  his  work  and 
pursues  his  vocation  merely  for  the  money  he  may 
get  for  it.  It  is  certainly  a  fact  that  the  insatiate 

[81] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

ambition  of  great  geniuses,  of  inventors,  poets, 
and  painters,  and  of  the  great  masters  of  music, 
has  not  been  fostered  by  the  hope  of  gain  and  the 
wish  for  riches.  No,  these  men  were  spurred  on 
by  an  irresistible  impulse.  It  really  seems  as  if 
nature,  or  divine  providence,  used  such  men  as  in- 
struments to  serve  their  purposes  in  the  interest  of 
the  entire  human  race.  Little  do  these  exceptional 
mortals  care  for  material  rewards,  and  true  genius 
is  never  held  back  by  the  fact  that  it  so  seldom 
obtains  the  honors  and  recognition  it  deserves. 

It  is  a  sad  truth  that  laurel  wreaths  are  wound 
only  about  the  lifeless  skulls  of  these  great  men, 
and  that  by  the  irony  of  fate,  others,  as  a  rule, 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  great  inventions  and  not 
themselves.  This  we  may  note,  for  instance,  in  the 
case  of  the  great  Viennese  composer  and  genius, 
Franz  Schubert,  whose  melodies  are  known  all  over 
the  world,  alleviating  and  cheering  so  many  of  our 
despondent  moments.  He  remained  a  poor  man  all 
his  life.  Scarcely  one  hundred  years  had  passed 
after  his  death  when  a  clever  Viennese  producer  of 
operettes  put  together  a  theatrical  piece  composed 
of  the  different  melodies  of  that  immortal  composer 
and  made  more  money  with  it  in  one  evening  than 
that  great  man  had  made  in  years.  About  a  year 
or  two  ago,  moreover,  one  of  Schubert's  kin  died 
in  Vienna  of  starvation,  in  direst  poverty. 

[82] 


Ambition 

The  really  great  men,  the  great  geniuses,  do  not 
understand  business!  Their  very  nature  is  contrary 
to  the  making  of  money.  There  scarcely  ever  ex- 
isted one  of  them  who  could  have  accumulated  any 
money.  And  so  it  came  to  be  that  Mozart  was  al- 
ways in  straightened  circumstances  and  in  debt.  At 
the  age  of  six  he  sat  on  the  knees  of  the  Empress 
Maria  Theresa  in  her  sumptuous  palace  at  Vienna, 
and  at  about  thirty-five  he  was  already  being  con- 
signed to  a  poor  man's  grave  in  the  potter's  field, 
followed  by  only  a  few  friends  as  mourners.  Van 
Beethoven  always  found  money  for  his  relatives, 
but  was  hard  pinched  to  satisfy  his  own  wants. 

Poverty  seems  to  be  the  sad  fate  of  these  great 
men,  for  nothing  is  more  alien  to  their  nature  than 
greed  and  avarice. 


[83] 


VII 

AVARICE 

TN  eastern  countries  it  is  the  custom  to  consign 
the  bodies  of  the  deceased  to  earth  clothed  only 
in  a  simple  shroud.  The  latter,  of  course,  has  no 
pockets,  and  it  is  a  proverb  in  these  countries,  when 
the  penuriousness  of  some  persons  is  being  cen- 
sured, to  remark  that  the  shroud  has  no  pockets, 
meaning  by  this  that  when  one  dies  he  cannot  take 
any  of  his  riches  with  him.  We  may  possess  mil- 
lions, we  may  call  the  finest  jewels  and  diamonds 
our  own,  and  we  may  have  found  the  treasures  of 
Montezuma  the  Second,  which  were  hidden  from 
Cortez;  but  when  once  we  are  dead,  "as  dead  as 
a  door-nail,"  as  Charles  Dickens  said  of  old 
Scrooge — none  of  these  are  any  longer  of  avail  to 
us.  All  the  treasures  of  Aladdin  would  then  not 
be  worth  a  farthing.  For  as  the  patriarch,  Job, 
said:  "Naked  have  I  come  from  my  mother's  womb, 
and  naked  do  I  go  back  to  her." 

Naked  as  we  go  back  to  our  Mother  Earth,  we 
can  take  nothing,  literally  nothing,  with  us.  And 
yet  we  see  many  a  millionaire,  and  many  a  Croesus, 
cling  to  his  riches  till  he  draws  his  last  breath. 
The  fool,  as  if  they  could  follow  him  to  the  king- 

[84] 


Avarice 

dom  of  eternal  darkness!  Many  a  millionaire,  who 
could  enjoy  all  the  pleasures  of  life  that  money 
can  buy,  and  who  could  brighten  his  days  with  all 
possible  luxuries  and  amenities  that  make  life  more 
agreeable  and  bearable,  would  yet  rather  die — be- 
ing such  a  miser — than  spend  a  trifling  portion  of 
his  wealth  in  the  interest  of  his  health  or  to  procure 
recovery  from  disease.  There  are  many  people  who 
know  how  to  make  millions,  yet  are  entirely  ignor- 
ant as  to  how  to  spend  them  with  wisdom.  Some, 
indeed,  are  quite  incapable,  out  of  avarice,  of  using 
even  a  small  part  of  their  wealth  to  satisfy  their 
own  wants  and  bodily  needs. 

Greed  and  avarice  shorten  life.  The  greedy  man 
tries  hard,  by  all  means,  often  without  scruples  or 
regard  for  the  exigencies  of  his  own  health,  to  make 
money.  Very  frequently  he  does  so  with  complete 
disregard  of  the  interests  of  his  fellowmen,  little 
caring  if  they  are  ruined  by  his  enterprises.  Evi- 
dently he  is  quite  ignorant  of  the  proverb,  "Live, 
and  let  live,"  or  at  least,  he  pays  no  attention  to 
it  in  his  pursuit  of  the  shekel. 

The  miser  is  still  worse!  The  greedy  man  fails 
to  heed  the  interests  of  others,  caring  not  if  they  are 
ruined  on  his  account,  but  the  miser  cares  not  a 
whit  even  for  his  own  interests,  i.e.,  the  interests  of 
his  own  health,  in  his  love  for  riches.  He  loves 
money  so  much  that  for  fear  of  losing  even  a  small 

[85] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

part  of  it,  he  neglects  his  own  wants  and  even  the 
most  stringent  requirements  of  his  health  and  bodily 
condition.  Such  is  true,  unadulterated  avarice! 

The  greedy  man  desires  to  make  money,  much 
money,  by  all  means,  but  he  also  wants  to  enjoy  the 
money  he  makes.  He  does  not  pinch  himself  in 
anything  that  concerns  his  own  comfort,  and  often 
spends  money  freely  for  this  purpose.  But  the 
avaricious  man  accumulates  gold  only  to  hear  its 
clinking  sound,  which  is  music  to  his  ears.  He 
wants  to  hoard  his  beloved  money,  and  he  would 
rather  starve  and  freeze  in  the  bitterest  winter  than 
use  a  small  part  of  it  to  buy  coal  for  his  own  com- 
fort. 

Such  privations  hasten  the  end  of  the  avaricious. 
Underfeeding  exposes  them  to  certain  diseases. 
Among  these  diseases  tuberculosis  takes  first  place. 
When  the  body  tissues  lack  certain  mineral  sub- 
stances which  are  indispensable  for  their  mainte- 
nance, such  as  lime,  iron,  potash,  etc.,  their  re- 
sistance to  the  myriads  of  microbes,  to  the  attacks 
of  which  we  are  constantly  exposed,  is  diminished. 
Persons  in  whose  scanty  diet  these  elements  are 
not  represented  in  sufficient  quantities  are  more 
likely  to  fall  victims  to  infections  of  all  kinds. 

The  working  power  of  the  heart-muscle  is  like- 
wise impaired  when  it  fails  to  receive  through  the 
diet  the  substances  necessary  for  its  activity,  espe- 

[86] 


Avarice 

cially  the  sugars.  Accordingly,  in  poorly  nourished 
persons  one  very  frequently  finds  the  heart  to  be 
weak,  a  fact  to  which  I  referred  in  greater  detail 
in  the  fifth,  enlarged  edition  of  my  work  on  "Old 
Age  Deferred." 

The  miser,  in  order  to  save  money,  has  a  predi- 
lection for  living  in  the  most  unhealthy  sort  of  a 
dwelling,  if  only  it  be  inexpensive,  and  by  thus 
selecting,  out  of  stinginess,  a  dark  and  often  damp 
abode,  he  is  exposed  to  all  kinds  of  infectious  dis- 
eases, particularly  articular  rheumatism,  with  its 
damaging  after-effects  on  the  heart.  When,  more- 
over, the  miser  falls  ill,  he  fails  to  consult  the  phy- 
sician in  good  time,  when  the  latter  could  still  be 
of  service  to  him,  but  from  motives  of  economy 
waits  until  very  late,  when  the  disease  has  already 
exerted  its  destructive  effects,  which  can  no  longer 
be  counteracted,  even  by  the  most  skilful  physician. 
As  a  rule,  these  unfortunate  persons  would  rather 
die  than  seek  medical  help,  unless  compelled  to  do 
so  by  intolerable  pain. 

This  sort  of  thing  is  met  with  very  often  among 
the  wealthiest  misers.  For  a  number  of  years  I 
had  under  my  care  a  multimillionaire  patient  from 
a  Southern  town,  who  was  suffering  from  diabetes. 
In  order  to  avoid  paying  the  Carlsbad  "cure-tax," 
amounting  to  20  kronen,  he  lived  in  a  suburb  of 
the  city.  Out  of  sheer  economy  he  consulted  me 

[87] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

only  once  each  time  he  began  his  cure,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  he  was  suffering  seriously  from  his 
diabetes.  It  seemed  as  if,  as  a  good  uncle,  out  of 
love  for  his  nephews,  he  wanted  to  terminate  his 
life  soon,  thus  helping  them  to  spend  with  lavish 
hands  the  treasure  he  had  been  heaping  up  during 
his  life,  and  let  other  people  also  have  something 
of  the  riches  of  their  uncle. 

Here  we  see  another  instance  of  the  compen- 
satory justice  that  exists  in  nature,  by  virtue  of 
which  treasure  that  has  been  hoarded  up  without 
avail  to  any  one  rather  frequently  passes  into  the 
hands  of  heirs  who  rapidly  consign  it  to  its  proper 
destination,  viz.,  to  circulate  through  other  hands 
instead  of  being  locked  up  without  any  practical 
benefit  in  a  strong  box.  And  so  it  is  that,  as  a 
kind  of  punishment,  misers  not  infrequently  have 
spendthrifts  as  their  heirs. 

It  is  certainly  an  abnormal  thing  when  rich 
people  prefer  to  expose  themselves  to  disease  and 
premature  death  rather  than  part  with  a  small  frac- 
tion of  their  fortune.  This  undoubtedly  betrays  an 
abnormal  mode  of  thinking.  Now  that  which  is 
abnormal  means  something  unsound,  and  such  un- 
soundness  can,  indeed,  be  correlated  with  disease. 
According  to  my  observations,  this  condition  em- 
braces not  only  changes  in  the  mind  and  impair- 
ment of  the  reasoning  powers,  but  also  changes  in 

[88] 


Avarice 

the  body  itself.  I  have  rather  often  observed  that 
wealthy  individuals,  previously  very  active  men- 
tally, show  a  decrease  of  their  mental  capacities  as 
soon  as  they  begin  to  age,  at  the  same  time  be- 
coming very  close-fisted  and  stingy,  in  marked  con- 
trast to  their  previous  liberal  habits.  I  am  conse- 
quently inclined  to  regard  avarice  as  a  senile 
manifestation. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  in  such  persons  I 
have  invariably  found  a  condition  of  arterioscler- 
osis, and  in  particular  a  hardening  of  the  vessels  of 
the  brain. 

I  should  like  to  point  out  here  the  interesting 
contrast  that  exists  between  the  liberality  of  youth 
and  the  stinginess  of  old  age.  In  youth  there  is 
active  circulation  of  blood  through  the  vessels  and 
the  cortex  of  the  brain.  The  seat  and  center  of 
all  our  mental  faculties  is  thus  well  provided  with 
blood.  As  a  rule,  under  these  conditions,  liberality 
is  to  be  noted. 

In  old  age,  however,  the  circulation  of  the  blood 
is  slowed  down,  changes  occur  in  the  tissues  of  the 
blood-vessels,  which  become  narrower,  and  the  tis- 
sues supplied  by  them  are  poorly  and  scantily 
nourished.  Atrophy  of  these  tissues  occurs  in  con- 
sequence. It  may  be  that  the  penuriousness  we 
so  often  find  in  such  old  people  is  related  to  this 
process  of  atrophy. 

[89] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Indeed,  I  think  the  opinion  I  am  venturing  here 
is  not  entirely  lacking  in  solid  scientific  foundation. 
There  has  been  described  by  the  French  medical 
school  a  condition  in  diabetics  of  advanced  age 
which  would  seem  to  support  my  statement.  Such 
old  diabetic  patients  have  been  observed  who,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  they  were  very  rich,  suffered 
from  a  mental  delusion  termed  by  the  French 
savants  "delire  de  ruine."  These  wealthy  people 
harbored  the  delusion  that  they  were  threatened  with 
immediate  financial  ruin,  and  that  they  were  dying 
of  hunger  like  the  poorest  beggar.  And  this  in 
spite  of  the  fact  some  of  them  were  worth  many 
millions. 

We  may  perhaps  better  understand  this  strange 
mental  condition  when  I  mention  that,  according 
to  my  observations  in  many  cases  of  diabetes  seen 
during  the  last  twenty-five  years  in  Carlsbad,  in 
nearly  every  case,  when  diabetes  presents  itself  in 
a  person  of  advanced  age,  it  is  caused  by  harden- 
ing of  the  arteries — arteriosclerosis — which  involves 
also  the  arteries  of  the  pancreas.  Degeneration  of 
the  latter  is,  as  is  well  known,  the  most  important 
cause  of  diabetes. 

As  evidence  demonstrating  the  truth  of  this  ob- 
servation, I  may  here  mention  a  fact  I  published 
in  the  "Journal  medical  de  Bruxelles"  eight  years 
ago,  viz.,  that  in  almost  every  case  of  diabetes  in 

[90] 


Avarice 

old  persons  I  succeeded  in  decreasing  the  amount 
of  sugar  or  causing  it  to  disappear  altogether  by 
administering  iodine,  the  well-known  remedy  for 
arteriosclerosis. 

In  my  book,  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  I  also  showed 
that  avarice  can  be  caused  by  changes  in  the  pitui- 
tary gland,  mentioning  two  such  cases.  In  the  dis- 
ease known  as  acromegaly,  due  to  this  cause,  the 
hands,  feet,  nose,  etc.,  enlarge  to  an  enormous  size, 
the  face  often  presenting  the  appearance  of  that 
of  Punch.  Both  of  the  patients  referred  to  were 
millionaires,  and  one  of  them  was  also  a  diabetic. 
They  both  showed  an  altogether  abnormal  miserli- 
ness. 

From  the  above  it  appears  that  avarice  may  not 
infrequently  be  related  to  physical  and  mental  dis- 
turbances. At  any  rate  it  is  the  expression  of  an 
abnormal  condition — weakness — of  the  human  mind. 
It  may  not  be  compatible  with  a  high  degree  of 
intelligence,  and  if  craft  and  cunning  are  present 
in  addition,  is  no  more  an  expression  of  a  high 
degree  of  intellect  than  the  wit  of  the  peasant 
stamps  him  as  a  clever  person.  That  misers  belong 
to  a  relatively  low  plane  as  to  intellect  likewise 
appears  from  the  fact  that  the  opposite  of  miserli- 
ness, viz.,  liberality,  is  met  with  oftenest  among 
persons,  such  as  artists,  who  are  gifted  with  great 
talents. 

[91] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Again,  the  outstanding  personalities  who,  as  re- 
ligious leaders,  combined  in  themselves  the  highest 
sagacity  and  wisdom,  exhorted  their  followers  to 
exercise  the  virtues  of  beneficence  to  others  and 
give  freely  to  the  poor.  Indeed,  Christ  taught  that 
one  should  love  his  neighbor  as  one  does  himself. 

In  the  teachings  of  Moses  repeated  admoni- 
tions as  to  generosity  are  made,  and  upon  a  stone 
in  the  courtyard  of  the  town  hall  at  Eger,  obtained 
from  a  synagogue  that  burned  down  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  there  appears  the  beautiful  inscrip- 
tion: "Simple  gifts  soothe  the  wrath  of  God." 

Mohammed,  the  Prophet,  who  had  a  tender  heart 
for  the  poor,  laid  special  stress  upon  the  giving  of 
alms,  and  there  are  no  people  in  the  world  so  liberal 
in  their  gifts  to  the  poor  as  the  Mohammedans. 
Nowhere  in  the  world  are  there  as  many  charitable 
institutions  for  the  poor  and  needy,  often  erected 
centuries  ago,  as  in  the  countries  where  Moham- 
medanism prevails.  Charity,  the  giving  of  alms  to 
the  poor,  constitutes  one  of  the  five  holy  command- 
ments of  the  Islamic  faith. 

Nowhere  have  I  seen  so  many  beggars,  and  like- 
wise nowhere  so  much  of  alms  distributed,  as  in 
Morocco,  one  of  the  great  strongholds  of  Islam. 
That  there  are  still  so  many  beggars  in  Spain  may, 
I  believe,  be  considered  a  remnant  of  the  traditions 
of  the  Arabic  rule  in  Spain.  In  the  same  way 

[92] 


Avarice 

many  of  the  expressions  used  in  Spanish  are  de- 
rived directly  from  the  Arabic,  e.g.,  the  pious  ex- 
clamation "ojala  Dios"  (if  God  will  have  it)  with 
which  the  Spaniard  supplements  all  his  statements 
concerning  his  future  doings,  just  as  the  Arab  al- 
ways uses  his  "Insh'  Allah." 

On  the  inscriptions  of  the  old  Egyptian  monu- 
ments dating  from  the  time  of  the  Xllth  Dynasty, 
charity  is  especially  recommended.  The  hungry  are 
to  be  fed,  the  thirsty  refreshed,  and  the  naked 
clothed. 

Even  nature  herself  teaches  charity.  The  gifts 
which  nature  vouchsafes  with  a  free  hand  and  in 
abundance  to  man  should  awaken  in  him  a  tendency 
to  benevolence  to  his  fellowmen  and  to  animals. 
We  should  not  let  a  day  pass  by  without  doing 
some  good  action  to  our  fellowmen,  and  if  there 
is  no  occasion  to  do  some  good  to  a  needy  person, 
at  least  one  may  throw  a  bone  to  a  hungry  dog. 

I  am  fully  convinced  of  the  literal  truth  of  the 
saying  that  "Charity  brings  its  own  reward,"  for 
the  inward  pleasure  and  satisfaction  which  follow 
a  good  action  influence  favorably  the  mind  and 
the  nervous  system,  and  through  them  also  the  heart 
and  the  general  blood  circulation.  The  positive 
qualities  of  human  character,  such  as  kindness,  love, 
and  hope,  prolong  life,  while  the  negative  charac- 
teristics, such  as  hate,  mistrust,  avarice,  etc.,  are 

[93] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

capable  of  shortening  life  owing  to  their  irritant 
action  on  the  nervous  system,  and  consequently  on 
the  circulatory  system,  to  which  it  is  closely  related. 
Likewise  the  many  vexatious  and  frequent  out- 
bursts of  anger  to  which  they  lead  may  be  opera- 
tive in  this  direction. 


[94] 


VIII 

ANGER 

VJ77HEN  a  person  becomes  very  angry,  one  may 
observe  how  the  veins  of  his  head,  especially 
the  forehead,  become  distended.  As  these  veins  are 
closely  connected  with  the  blood-vessels  in  the  in- 
ner cavities  of  the  skull  and  with  those  of  the  brain, 
their  distention  indicates  that  on  account  of  the 
emotion  of  anger,  certain  changes  on  the  blood- 
vessels of  the  brain,  viz.,  a  congestion  of  these  ves- 
sels, must  have  taken  place. 

That  a  marked  congestion  of  these  vessels  can, 
indeed,  arise,  is  best  shown  by  the  fact  that  there 
may  occur  sometimes  in  consequence  of  violent 
emotion,  such  as  great  anger,  and  the  ensuing  con- 
gestion, even  a  rupture  of  these  vessels  or  apo- 
plectic stroke.  Of  course  such  an  occurrence  is 
only  possible,  as  a  rule,  if  the  walls  of  the  blood- 
vessels are  already  diseased,  as  by  arteriosclerosis, 
and  their  power  of  resistance  against  a  great  rise 
of  the  blood  pressure  in  the  blood-vessels  diminished. 

Such  an  apoplectic  attack  may  not  rarely  be 
immediately  fatal,  although  fortunately  a  fatal  is- 
sue does  not  frequently  occur.  Many,  after  the 
first  apoplectic  stroke,  recover  after  a  time  and  re- 

[95] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

main  alive  for  years — sometimes  even  a  good  many 
years  if  they  lead  a  regular  life,  observing  all  the 
rules  of  personal  hygiene,  and  especially,  when  able 
to  abstain  from  tobacco,  alcohol,  and  the  pleasures 
of  a  rich  table. 

Although,  happily,  apoplexy  is  not  a  daily  oc- 
currence in  cases  of  great  anger,  taking  place  only 
when  the  arteriosclerotic  changes  in  the  blood- 
vessels are  very  considerable,  generally  after  the 
disease  has  existed  for  some  length  of  time,  yet 
violent  emotion,  such  as  anger,  is  apt  to  produce 
a  great  rise  of  blood  pressure  and  influence  very 
unfavorably  the  condition  of  the  blood-vessels,  pro- 
moting the  arteriosclerotic  process. 

If  this  condition  is  already  present,  however,  and 
especially  if  the  vessels  of  the  heart  are  themselves 
involved,  life  itself  may  be  placed  in  jeopardy  by 
anger  in  these  cases.  Indeed,  it  may  bring  on  an 
attack  of  breastpang — the  dreaded  angina  pec- 
tons — which  not  rarely  terminates  in  sudden  death. 

Apart  from  these  harmful  effects  on  the  blood 
circulation,  anger  may  also  exert  a  very  prejudicial 
action  on  the  nervous  system  and  promote  the  de- 
velopment of  serious  nervous  and  mental  disturb- 
ances, especially  in  persons  predisposed  to  such 
disorders  by  inheritance. 

A  particularly  unfavorable  action  is  exerted  by 
it  on  the  blood-vessels  of  the  brain,  and  it  may  thus 

[96] 


Anger 

to  a  marked  degree  favor  the  development  of  cere- 
bral arteriosclerosis. 

On  the  other  hand,  frequent  outbursts  of  anger 
may  be  an  indication  of  the  existence  of  such  a 
disturbance,  and  may  often  serve  as  a  sign  of  it 
at  its  very  beginning.  Thus,  I  have  frequently  had 
occasion  to  observe  that  persons  previously  of  a 
gentle  disposition  become  strikingly  irascible  as  soon 
as  such  a  disorder  becomes  established  in  them. 
The  irascibility  which  frequently  appears  in  per- 
sons over  fifty  years  of  age,  where  it  had  not  previ- 
ously been  present,  may  be  taken  as  an  indication 
of  beginning  sclerosis  of  the  brain  vessels.  One  of 
the  most  dreaded  of  nervous  and  mental  diseases, 
progressive  general  paralysis,  may,  however,  like- 
wise be  manifested  in  this  way  in  its  earliest  stage. 

In  persons  between  the  ages  of  forty  and  fifty 
years  one  rather  often  notices  frequent  outbursts  of 
temper  either  without  motive  or  from  quite  trifling 
causes,  even  in  persons  who  had  the  gentlest  dis- 
positions in  earlier  life  and  were  not  easily  aroused 
to  anger.  If,  in  addition,  there  appears  a  condi- 
tion of  nervousness  not  previously  present  and  not 
induced  by  outside  factors,  it  is  advisable  to  ascer- 
tain through  a  medical  examination  whether  syphi- 
litic infection  has  not  been  previously  contracted 
and  how  the  blood  responds  to  the  Wassermann 
reaction.  It  is  in  such  incipient  cases  of  this  dis- 

7  [97] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

ease,  which  is  constantly  growing  more  common, 
that  the  best  results  from  the  treatment,  otherwise 
hopeless  and  useless,  may  be  obtained. 

In  fact,  it  may  even  be  possible  to  prevent  the 
complete  development  of  the  disease,  with  its  de- 
structive effect  on  the  mind.  In  persons  threat- 
ened with  this  frightful  disorder  all  causes  pro- 
ductive of  an  outburst  of  temper  must  be  carefully 
avoided,  since  excitement  of  any  kind  may  induce 
such  outbursts. 

In  view  of  the  close  relationship  existing  between 
the  nervous  system  and  general  nutrition,  one  may 
readily  understand  how  anything  which  arouses 
temper  exerts  an  extremely  harmful  effect  on  the 
economy.  Anger,  in  common  with  a  great  variety 
of  other  forms  of  excitement,  may,  indeed,  be  the 
source  of  a  disturbance  of  nutrition  which  is  fre- 
quently dangerous  to  life,  viz.,  diabetes.  In  my 
various  contributions  to  medical  literature  on  this 
disease  I  have  described  cases  in  which  diabetes  set 
in  following  some  mental  shock.  Not  infrequently 
a  serious,  incurable  form  of  the  disease  is  induced 
in  such  cases.  In  persons  in  whom  diabetes  already 
exists  such  a  mental  shock  is  followed  by  a  marked 
increase  of  the  sugar  in  the  urine  and  the  condition 
is  aggravated.  Not  uncommonly  the  disease  was 
observed  to  set  in,  as  various  writers  have  stated, 
after  an  outburst  of  anger  because  of  marital  un- 

[98] 


Anger 

faithfulness  of  the  wife  or  husband,  or  following 
unsuccessful  speculation,  etc. 

Another  type  of  nutritive  disorder,  viz.,  gout, 
may  likewise  be  made  worse  by  emotional  impres- 
sions. 

Not  uncommonly  an  acute  attack  of  gout,  in  the 
form  of  podagra,  comes  on  as  a  result  of  an  out- 
burst of  passion,  nature  thus  afflicting  with  severe 
pain  at  night  persons  who  are  unable  to  control 
their  tempers. 

Pain  still  more  severe  than  that  of  gout  may  be 
induced  by  anger  in  persons  suffering  from  stone 
in  the  kidney.  The  pain  experienced  in  such  at- 
tacks is  far  more  dreadful  than  that  of  any  other 
disorder  to  which  man  is  subject,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  tabes. 

Only  slightly  less  painful  attacks  that  may  be 
induced  by  anger  are  those  of  gallstone  disease, 
which  often  bears  some  relationship  to  stone  in  the 
kidney.  Both  of  these  disorders  may  occur  in  the 
same  person;  the  attacks  of  gallstone  colic  may 
be,  and  indeed,  rather  frequently  are,  brought  on 
by  outbursts  of  anger.  That  the  latter  exerts  some 
influence  on  the  circulation  of  the  bile  may  be  as- 
sumed from  the  fact  that  there  are  persons  who 
become  jaundiced  after  a  fit  of  temper;  disease  of 
the  bile  ducts  commonly  exists  in  such  instances. 
It  is  to  be  strongly  recommended,  therefore,  to 

[99] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

persons  suffering  from  gallstone  disease  or,  more 
specifically,  inflammation  of  the  biliary  passages, 
that  they  should  shun,  whenever  possible,  all  causes 
that  might  induce  an  outburst  of  passion  followed 
by  gallstone  colic.  In  a  number  of  vocations,  how- 
ever, this  is  difficult  to  avoid. 

I  have  long  been  struck  by  the  number  of  lawyers 
among  the  many  hundreds  of  patients  with  gall- 
stones whom  I  have  treated  in  Carlsbad  during  the 
last  twenty-five  years.  Thus,  disease  of  the  biliary 
tract  seems  to  be  a  common  occurrence  in  members 
of  this  profession.  Whence  one  might  draw  the 
conclusion  that  this  honorable  body  of  men  busies 
itself  solely  with  the  defence  of  true  justice;  for 
in  the  opposite  event  it  would  be  hard  to  under- 
stand how  any  "bile  could  be  spilled"  by  them  in 
the  process! 


[100] 


IX 

VANITY 

IF  there  were  no  sexual  instinct,  vanity  would  not 
exist  on  this  earth,  either.  For  naturally  it  can 
be  only  a  result  of  the  sexual  instinct  if,  in  man 
or  animals,  the  male  or  female  tries  hard  to  cap- 
tivate the  attention  of  the  opposite  sex.  Man  and 
the  animals  have,  indeed,  learned  how  to  do  this 
from  their  great  teacher,  nature.  She  is  the  secret 
promoter  of  vanity,  through  which  she  furthers  her 
ends,  and  to  which  she  clings  with  the  utmost 
tenacity  in  order  to  ensure  the  conservation  of  the 
species. 

With  an  eye  to  this,  her  sacred  aim,  she  utilizes, 
among  other  means  which  in  their  cleverness  must 
excite  the  admiration  of  even  the  most  impious 
atheist  and  materialist,  vanity,  in  order  to  excite 
the  sexual  appetite  of  the  opposite  sex,  the  co- 
operation of  which  is  indispensable  in  attaining  her 
object. 

Accordingly,  she  makes  the  peacock  spread  its 
tail  in  order  to  solicit  the  admiration  of  the  female 
through  the  sight  of  the  wonderful  brilliancy  of  its 
feathers,  which  are  of  almost  unrivalled  beauty. 
Unlike  the  human  race,  in  the  peacock  species  it  is 

[101] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

not  the  female  that  deserves  to  be  called  the  "fair 
sex,"  for  she  is  clothed  by  nature  in  very  modest 
and  by  no  means  pretentious  garments. 

Again,  to  promote  the  mating  of  the  bird  of 
paradise,  nature  induces  the  males  to  dance  a 
pirouette  before  the  females,  meanwhile  exhibiting 
the  wonderfully  rich  coloring  of  their  plumage. 

She  even  goes  so  far  as  to  make  a  certain  species 
of  woodcock,  found  in  South  America,  construct  a 
kind  of  dance  hall  in  his  endeavor  to  obtain  the 
favors  of  his  beloved,  so  that  here,  just  as  with  man, 
the  path  to  marriage  frequently  leads  through  the 
ball  room. 

This  shows  us  that  Terpsichorean  art  was  in  re- 
ality invented  by  Mother  Nature  for  the  purpose 
of  serving  the  sexual  instinct.  Indeed,  I  believe 
I  have  demonstrated  in  my  book  on  "Building 
Human  Intelligence"  that  the  fine  arts  owe  their 
origin  to  the  sexual  instinct  as  the  underlying  mo- 
tive. This  applies  also  to  the  art  of  singing  and 
to  music  in  general. 

This  is  plainly  shown  by  the  fact  that  nature  has 
given  the  greater  gifts  in  singing  only  to  the  males 
among  the  singing  birds.  Thus  the  male  night- 
ingale sings  his  most  superb  note  only  in  the  serv- 
ice of  sex.  The  same  is  true  of  the  other  songsters. 
The  males  attempt  to  drive  their  rivals  from  the 
field  by  their  finest  songs,  and  the  one  that  sings 

[102] 


Vanity 

the  best  is  favored  with  the  love  of  his  elected  mate. 
When  the  victory  has  been  gained,  however,  it 
means  also  the  end  of  the  beautiful  songs;  there- 
after the  males  sing  no  more,  except  perhaps  to 
entertain  their  mates  while  building  their  nests  and 
as  a  stimulant  to  the  diligence  of  their  little  help- 
mates. 

One  might  show  similarly  that  the  art  of  paint- 
ing was  likewise  originated  by  nature.  It  likewise 
serves  her  purposes  in  promoting  sex  excitement 
and  insuring  the  conservation  of  the  species. 

To  this  end  nature  makes  use  of  the  finest  colors 
at  her  command.  To  the  fish — a  creature  looked 
upon  as  a  frigid,  cold-blooded  animal,  but  not  with 
justice,  for  at  least  in  a  metaphoric  sense,  warm 
blood  does,  indeed,  course  through  his  veins — nature 
lends,  under  the  influence  of  sexual  excitement,  the 
most  brilliant  colors — though  only  to  the  males. 
For  in  her  great  sagacity  and  pre-occupation  for 
the  conservation  of  the  species,  it  is,  in  general,  to 
the  males  that  she  has  given  the  greater  appetite 
in  the  sexual  sphere,  and  to  the  female  rather  a 
sense  of  moderation  and  reserve,  so  that  stronger 
means  are  required  to  arouse  her  sex  desires. 

In  the  waters  of  India  there  occurs  a  fish  which 
nature  has  fitted  out  with  the  finest  possible  colors, 
the  rainbow  fish.  When  the  season  arrives  for  this 
fish  to  lay  its  eggs,  the  male  swims  about  the  fe- 

[103] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

male  and  turns  himself  in  all  directions  just  like  a 
conceited  dandy  who  is  trying  to  win  his  lady  with 
his  charms.  In  doing  so  he  permits  his  elected 
one  to  admire  the  great  beauty  of  his  scales,  radi- 
ant with  the  most  wonderful  colors,  his  entire  body 
glowing  in  a  kind  of  brilliant  fire.  All  this  in 
order  to  tempt  her  to  enter  his  nest. 

How  human  these  creatures  are,  or  how  much 
we  are  like  animals!  Just  as  lavishly  has  nature 
lent  her  most  brilliant  hues  to  the  world  of  plants 
to  assist  in  their  propagation.  For  this  purpose 
she  uses  the  most  striking  and  conspicuous  colors 
at  her  command,  colors  such  as  will  be  seen  from 
a  great  distance,  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  in- 
sects adapted  as  intermediaries  in  the  act  of  fer- 
tilization, e.g.,  bees,  butterflies,  flies  of  different 
kinds,  etc. 

With  her  usual  admirable  foresight,  nature  has 
lavished  the  most  striking  colors  upon  the  flowers 
of  the  mountain  meadows.  The  reason  for  this — 
and  it  shows  with  what  wonderful  perspicacity 
nature  does  her  work — is  that  in  the  high  moun- 
tains the  summer  season  lasts  only  a  very  short 
time  and  the  insects  must  be  stimulated  by  some 
extra  means  to  the  highest  pitch  of  industry  and 
speed  in  order  to  profit  as  much  as  possible  from 
the  short  time  at  their  disposal. 

To  this  end  nature  attracts  the  fertilizing  insects 

[104] 


Vanity 

with  the  most  brilliant  hue  that  she  possesses  in 
her  box  of  colors,  a  special  kind  of  red  of  great 
brilliancy,  called  anthokyan.  This  color,  like  con- 
spicuous colors  in  general,  and  like  the  most 
pungent  perfumes  and  finest  aromas  of  flowers,  is 
a  result  of  the  purest  sunshine,  the  sun's  rays  in 
the  mountains  containing  far  more  of  the  most  ac- 
tive rays,  the  so-called  "ultra-violet"  rays,  than 
elsewhere.  These  rays  are  the  special  producers  of 
pigments  and  colors. 

Nor  does  benevolent  nature  forget  those  organ- 
isms which  are  not  allowed  to  enjoy  the  enlivening 
rays  of  the  sun,  the  mushrooms  that  grow  in  the 
dark  shadows  of  deep  forests.  To  these  she  gives 
a  lamp  which  glows  at  night  in  order  to  attract 
their  worshippers.  There  is  one  of  them,  a  species 
found  in  Brazil,  called  Dictyopliora  phalloidea, 
which  resembles  a  little  lady,  most  eccentrically 
clad.  At  night  she  puts  on  a  little  mantle  which 
looks  like  a  lace  veil  and  which  emits  a  glowing 
light  to  attract  the  insects.  The  people  of  Brazil 
call  this  mushroom  "the  lady  with  the  white  veil" 
(a  Senhora  con  a  mantilha  branca). 

In  addition  to  these  lights  revealed  at  night  time, 
some  mushrooms  possess  an  attraction  of  another 
kind  for  the  insects,  viz.,  an  odor.  This  odor  is 
very  repellent  to  human  nostrils,  being  a  kind  of 
cadaveric  odor,  but  for  the  insects  which  dissemi- 

[105] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

nate  the  spores  of  these  mushrooms  it  seems  to 
represent  all  the  perfumes  of  Araby.  "Naturalia 
non  sun  turpia"  (natural  things  are  not  vile 
things),  says  the  Latin.  Herein  we  find  but  an- 
other manifestation  of  the  great  sagacity  of  Mother 
Nature  in  the  interest  of  the  conservation  and  pro- 
pagation of  the  species.  To  this  purpose  she  ap- 
plies not  only  the  most  striking  colors,  but  also 
the  strongest  odors,  which  she  uses  where  it  is 
necessary  to  attract  the  greatest  possible  number 
of  insects. 

Here  again,  I  would  like  to  point  out  how  closely 
all  this  is  related  to  things  human.  Those  ladies 
who  sprinkle  themselves  with  the  most  powerful 
perfumes,  dress  very  conspicuously  ("en  se  faisant 
remarquer,"  as  the  French  would  say),  and  put  a 
red  flag  on  their  faces  (as  Thackeray  would  say), 
are  following,  unwittingly,  indeed  instinctively, 
natural  models.  They  are  merely  following  pat- 
terns which  nature  created  already  thousands  of 
years  ago,  long  before  man  made  his  appearance 
on  this  earth.  They  are,  as  a  matter  of  fact  (and 
poor  things,  they  are  unaware  of  it!),  simply  pup- 
pets, which  nature  causes  to  dance  as  she  pulls  the 
strings. 

Verily,  one  who  knows  how  to  read  the  great 
book  that  nature  has  written,  even  if  he  be  a 
"doubting  Thomas"  of  a  most  impious  disposition, 

[106] 


Vanity 

cannot  help  admiring  this  marvellous  foresight  of 
nature  and  her  great  kindness  to  all  her  creatures, 
even  the  humblest.  If  only  the  theologians  would 
occupy  themselves  a  little  more  with  natural  his- 
tory! Indeed,  I  think  they  could  establish  a  most 
intimate  relationship  between  theology  and  natural 
history.  With  one  of  the  arguments  above  men- 
tioned I  believe  they  could  convert  more  people  to 
a  belief  in  a  wise,  benevolent  Creator  than  with  a 
hundred  arguments  of  a  metaphysical  nature. 

But,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  some  of  the  masters  of 
divinity  do  not  favor  teleological  arguments,  and, 
if  I  may  judge  from  my  own  experience,  the  pro- 
testant  clergymen  are,  as  a  whole,  more  averse  to 
such  proofs  of  the  existence  of  God  than  are  the 
Roman  Catholic  priests.  Indeed,  according  to  Dr. 
Nisius,  S.  J.,  Professor  in  the  widely  known  High 
School  of  Theology  at  Innsbruck  (Tyrol),  there 
is  nothing  in  the  teachings  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  that  would  exclude  the  use  of  such  argu- 
ments, drawn  from  nature. 

Since,  according  to  the  above  mentioned  facts, 
vanity  is  founded  upon  entirely  natural  principles, 
being,  so  to  speak,  an  institution  nature  herself 
created,  it  would  seem  perhaps  out  of  place  here 
to  describe  it  as  one  of  the  ten  chief  causes  of 
premature  death;  indeed,  it  would  appear  as  if  the 
satisfaction  of  vanity  could  not  lead  to  conse- 

[107] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

quences  that  might  prove  deleterious  to  health. 
This  may  be  the  case,  to  be  sure,  when  the  satis- 
faction of  vanity  does  not  exceed  ordinary  limits, 
for  example,  when  a  person  is  merely  trying  by 
innocent  means  to  place  his  person  and  his  quali- 
ties in  the  most  favorable  light. 

After  all,  nature  herself  does  the  same  thing 
when  she  imparts  striking  colors  to  the  plants  in 
order  to  assist  in  their  fertilization.  Indeed,  she 
utilizes  her  strongest  agencies,  her  most  impressive 
colors,  only  when  special  circumstances  demand  it. 
Thus,  the  modest  violet  certainly  passes  into  the 
haven  of  matrimony  without  the  necessity  of  hav- 
ing recourse  to  intoxicating  odors  to  entice  her 
worshippers,  like  the  ill-smelling  mushrooms  that 
grow  in  the  depths  of  the  dark  forest.  These 
demure  little  flowers  do  not  need  to  advertise  them- 
selves by  conspicuous  means — a  fact  which  may 
serve  as  a  hope  and  comfort  to  their  human  sisters. 

Vanity  becomes  very  harmful  to  us  and  one  of 
the  chief  causes  of  premature  death  only  when 
weapons  of  a  less  innocent  kind  are  applied  to 
satisfy  the  craving  to  please — only  when  the  ques- 
tion is  no  longer  one  of  placing  in  a  favorable  light 
qualities  that  already  exist,  but  when  such  qual- 
ities as  do  not  exist  at  all  are  simulated  by 
deception.  Such  is  the  case,  for  example,  when  a 
woman  insists  upon  forcing  her  stout  body  into 

[108] 


Vanity 

tight  clothing,  so  that  violence  is  done  to  her  res- 
piratory and  circulatory  organs  which  thereafter 
develop  marked  pathological  disturbances.  A  num- 
ber of  life-shortening  disorders  are  promoted  in 
this  manner.  Particularly  serious  consequences 
may  result  where,  as  is  unfortunately  often  the 
case,  such  women  expect  to  become  mothers  and 
nevertheless  want  to  continue  to  appear  slim,  or, 
on  the  other  hand,  instead  of  being  proud  of  the 
state  of  motherhood,  desire  to  prevent  it. 

Very  serious  effects  on  the  liver  and  bile  circu- 
lation may  be  caused  by  tight  lacing.  Actual 
grooves  in  the  liver  may  be  produced  by  tight  cor- 
sets, as  has  often  been  noted  in  autopsies  on  the 
bodies  of  women.  It  is  clear  that  the  circulation 
in  the  vessels  of  the  liver,  which  plays  an  important 
part  in  the  elaboration  of  the  bile,  is  markedly 
hindered  by  such  tight  wearing  apparel.  Aside 
from  this,  as  well  as  from  the  hindrance  offered  to 
the  circulation  of  bile  owing  to  pressure  upon  the 
bile  ducts,  stagnation  of  the  bile  may  also  be  pro- 
duced as  a  result  of  the  obstacle  to  the  respiratory 
function  of  the  diaphragm  consequent  upon  the 
pressure  of  the  corset.  Under  normal  conditions 
the  movements  of  the  diaphragm  promote  the  cir- 
culation of  bile.  It  is  not  surprising,  moreover, 
that  in  such  women — as  is  very  frequently  the 
case — a  serious  and  also  very  painful  condition  may 

[109] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

develop  as  a  result  of  the  stagnation  of  bile,  viz., 
inflammation  of  the  bile  passages  or  gallstones. 
The  extremely  severe  pain  which  then  occurs  con- 
stitutes, indeed,  a  chastisement  for  the  sin  of  vanity. 
Still  more  dreadful  pains  may,  however,  be  in- 
duced through  vanity  from  the  use  of  paints  and 
hair  dyes  if  they  contain  lead.  When  women  and 
girls,  otherwise  grudgingly  dealt  with  by  nature, 
attempt  to  improve  their  unattractive,  muddy  and 
yellowish  complexions  or  to  impart  some  degree  of 
freshness  to  their  ageing  features,  we  may  condone 
such  an  attempt  as  a  natural,  human  procedure,  and 
as  the  author  of  "Old  Age  Deferred"  I  should  be 
the  last  one  to  cast  aspersions  upon  it.  It  is  quite 
unpardonable,  on  the  other  hand,  when,  as  is  un- 
fortunately often  the  case,  very  young  women  make 
it  a  practice  to  paint.  It  is  not  merely  that  they 
are  thus  nearly  always  made  to  look  older  and 
an  otherwise  healthy-looking  complexion  always 
harmed,  frequently  to  an  irremediable  extent,  but 
what  is  still  more  unfortunate,  serious  ill-health 
may  result  where,  as  is  often  the  case  with  the 
most  effective  white  paints  and  powders,  the  prepar- 
ations used  contain  lead.  Even  small  quantities 
of  this  toxic  substance  may  cause  poisoning  if  the 
paints  and  powders  containing  it  are  used  for  some 
length  of  time.  Poisoning  may  occur  even  more 
readily  if  the  hair  is  dyed  with  preparations  con- 

[110] 


Vanity 

taining  lead,  which  are  very  effective  in  changing 
the  color  of  the  hair  or  beard  to  brown  or  black. 

The  worst  feature  of  this  is  that  such  poisoning 
in  many  instances  comes  on  in  a  slow,  insidious 
manner,  until  finally,  one  day,  an  extremely  painful 
attack  of  lead  colic  sets  in.  Often  such  an  attack 
is  later  repeated,  but  its  true  nature  is  not  infre- 
quently overlooked,  so  that  the  disorder  is  given 
an  opportunity  to  exert  further  harmful  effects  in 
the  body — effects  often  utterly  irremediable — until 
finally  the  true  cause  of  the  disorder  is  successfully 
detected.  Not  a  few  of  these  cases  later  terminate 
fatally. 

Persons  previously  in  the  best  of  health  and 
robust  in  appearance  are  thus  transformed  into 
pale,  emaciated  beings  constituting  mere  shadows 
of  once  beautiful  women  or  well-nourished  men. 

From  the  effects  of  the  deadly  poison,  lead,  there 
may  develop  serious  and  dangerous  changes  in  the 
brain,  heart,  blood-vessels,  digestive  organs,  and 
liver,  as  well  as  in  the  kidneys.  The  condition  is 
also  one  of  the  most  important  causes  of  the  ex- 
cessive formation  of  uric  acid,  with  its  harmful 
consequences.  Mental  disturbances  may  also  be 
present. 

Above  all,  the  victim  of  this  chronic  lead  poison- 
ing— the  result  of  vanity — may  be  dreadfully  tor- 
mented by  the  attendant  pain.  As  I  lately  had 

[in] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

occasion  to  observe  in  the  case  of  a  retired  officer 
who  had  dyed  his  hair  and  beard  for  a  number  of 
years,  this  pain  may  occur  in  the  same  manner  and 
with  the  same  intensity  as  the  painful  paroxysms 
of  tabes  dorsalis,  so  that  the  making  of  a  correct 
diagnosis  may  be  attended  with  difficulty.  In  the 
case  of  the  officer  just  mentioned,  repeated  exami- 
nations of  the  blood  with  the  Wassermann  reaction 
regularly  gave  negative  results,  and  syphilitic  in- 
fection was  categorically  denied,  so  that  I  was 
compelled  to  consider  the  dye  containing  lead  as 
the  cause  of  the  severe  attacks  of  pain.  Besides, 
the  man  had  become  so  strikingly  thin  as  to  be 
merely  skin  and  bones,  although  as  a  landowner 
he  had  been  able  to  eat  plenty  of  food  during  the 
war. 

Serious  harm  may  likewise  be  done  to  the  health 
when,  as  in  the  case  of  many  ladies  who  are  most 
ardently  desirous  of  acquiring  a  slim  figure,  every 
possible  means  is  taken  to  further  this  end.  For 
this  purpose  the  food  taken  may  be  reduced  to  the 
lowest  possible  amount;  in  young  persons,  in  par- 
ticular, whose  growth  has  not  been  completed,  this 
procedure  may  have  very  prejudicial  results.  If 
the  body  fails  to  receive  enough  of  proteins,  carbo- 
hydrates and  fats  in  the  diet,  as  well  as  of  mineral 
substances,  such  as  lime,  for  its  proper  development, 
serious  effects  on  the  health  ensue,  and  in  their 

[112] 


Vanity 

wake  follow  a  number  of  diseases  dangerous  to 
life. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  dangers  of  over- 
eating; but  far  greater  are  the  risks  attendant 
upon  under-nutrition,  for  under  these  conditions 
the  body  lacks  the  very  substances  which  protect 
it  against  various  infections.  In  this  manner,  es- 
pecially in  young  individuals,  one  of  the  diseases 
causing  the  greatest  mortality,  viz.,  tuberculosis, 
may  easily  become  established. 

I  have  often  found  it  necessary  to  recommend 
arsenic  and  iron  in  anemic  women  and  girls — these 
being  the  very  best  drugs  for  such  instances — but 
have  been  met  with  a  refusal  to  take  them  on 
account  of  a  superstitious  fear  that  they  would 
make  their  waists  larger. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  in  this  connection, 
however,  that  small  medicinal  doses  of  these  drugs, 
used  in  conjunction  with  a  suitable  diet,  could 
hardly  exert  any  such  effect,  and  that,  on  the  other 
hand,  their  ingestion  will  as  a  rule  promote  a 
healthy  and  youthful  appearance. 

The  women,  however,  do  not  draw  their  con- 
clusions from  the  general  run  of  cases,  as  do  men, 
but  judge  rather  by  the  isolated,  exceptional  in- 
stances that  have  befallen  one  of  their  friends.  In 
many  women  vanity  reaches  such  a  pitch  that  they 
would  rather  continue  ill  than  be  restored  to  health 

s  [113] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

and  present  a  healthy  appearance.  In  many,  in- 
deed, morbid  vanity  is  such  that  they  voluntarily 
give  up  the  greatest  blessing  at  the  disposal  of 
the  young  married  woman,  viz.,  motherhood. 


[114] 


X 

AVOIDANCE   OF   PARENTHOOD 

A  WEDDING!  What  a  delightful  festival  it 
means  for  mankind!  But  if  it  is  the  most 
delightful  festival  the  human  race  can  enjoy  on 
earth,  it  does  not  mean  the  greatest  happiness  for 
all  the  other  creatures  of  this  universe.  Especially 
is  this  not  so  in  the  short-lived  world  of  the  insects, 
for  to  them  it  means  very  often  the  beginning  of 
the  end. 

The  females  of  the  insects  survive  but  a  very 
short  time,  for  as  soon  as  they  have  laid  their  eggs 
they  must  say  farewell  to  the  world  and  die.  Nor 
are  the  males  any  better  off  if  they  belong  to  the 
group  of  the  carnivorous  insects.  Their  earthly 
pilgrimage  is  still  briefer  than  that  of  the  females, 
and  above  all,  their  end  is  far  more  tragic,  for  they 
are  eaten  up  by  their  wives,  out  of  pure  love. 

In  the  insect  world  there  prevail  very  strange 
nuptial  habits,  for  the  "loving"  wives  devour  their 
husbands!  One  of  the  species  of  insects  to  which 
this  applies  is  that  of  the  "praying  crickets,"  a 
kind  of  locust  exhibiting  indeed  a  very  pious  as- 
pect, for  they  raise  their  arms  toward  heaven  in  a 
praying  attitude;  the  Prove^aux  call  them  "prego 
Dieu." 

[115] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

What  a  hypocrite  the  female  of  this  species 
is,  for  she  carries  on  in  the  insect  world  like  a 
blood-thirsty  tiger!  With  this  insect  the  husband 
is  eaten  up  already  in  the  nuptial  bed.  As  soon 
as  he  begins  to  court  her,  the  "loving  wife"  be- 
gins to  gnaw  at  him.  Still  he  continues  showing 
his  attentions  to  his  elected  spouse,  undeterred  by 
her  murderous  attacks,  and  even  after  his  loving 
better  half  has  eaten  up  his  head  and  "par  dessus 
le  marche,"  as  the  French  would  say,  the  half  of 
his  chest,  this  exemplary  model  of  a  husband  still 
continues  to  fulfill  his  marital  duties.  He  does  not 
desist,  indeed,  until  his  "life  partner"  begins  to 
devour  his  abdomen,  the  seat  of  his  generative  or- 
gans, a  fact  shown  by  the  observations  of  the  great 
French  savant5  and  member  of  the  Paris  "Acad- 
emic des  Sciences,"  Fabre,  who  died  a  few  years 
ago. 

The  insect  just  referred  to  gives  us  an  example 
of  how  duty  can  be  fulfilled  even  after  death  has 
taken  place.  For  even  as  a  headless  corpse,  after 
sacrificing  his  own  existence,  this  insect  persists  in 
giving  life  to  new  creatures  of  his  kind. 

No  less  blood-thirsty  are  the  nuptial  habits  of 
the  golden  scarabaeus,  a  kind  of  beetle  with  a  body 
dipped  in  golden  colors.  In  this  species,  likewise, 
the  females  devour  their  mates,  but  at  least  they 

B  J.  H.  Fabre :  "Moeurs  des  Insectes,  Morceaux  choisis,"  p.  69. 

["6] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

grant  them  a  short  reprieve  after  the  wedding, 
until  they  have  laid  all  their  eggs.  Then,  however, 
the  husband  "gets  it  in  the  neck,"  or  more  pre- 
cisely, "in  the  stomach,"  for  this  portion  of  the 
body  of  the  unhappy  husband  is  eaten  away  by  his 
better  half,  being,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  only  part 
of  his  body  that  is  worth  eating.  In  the  period 
between  June  15th  and  August  1st  the  five  females 
that  Fabre  kept  in  his  glass  boxes  in  Serignan  ate 
up  all  of  the  twenty  males  which  were  left  with 
them,  although  otherwise  well  supplied  with  food. 
They  had  been  together  since  April.  From  April 
till  June  no  murder  took  place,  and  during  this 
time  the  mating  period  elapsed.  But  after  this 
period  had  passed,  and  the  females  had  no  more 
need  of  their  husbands,  they  simply  slew  and  de- 
voured them.  As  the  much  quoted  dramatic  proverb 
says:  "The  Moor  has  done  his  duty,  the  Moor 
can  go!" 

Now,  the  strangest  thing  of  all  is,  how  could 
these  great,  strong  beetles  allow  themselves  calmly, 
without  offering  any  resistance  whatsoever,  to  be 
eaten  up  by  their  weaker  halves?  They  did  not 
even  stir  to  prevent  it,  but  acted  as  if  it  had  been 
a  matter  of  course,  the  most  natural  thing  in  the 
world ! 

The  same  thing  was  observed  by  Fabre  regard- 
ing the  males  of  the  Languedoc  scorpion.  This 

[117] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

insect  possesses  a  very  murderous  weapon  consist- 
ing of  a  lance-like  organ,  of  formidable  aspect  to 
other  insects;  and  again,  strange  to  say,  he  failed 
to  use  it  even  to  defend  himself  against  the  can- 
nibal attacks  of  the  female,  while  she  was  in  the 
act  of  devouring  him.  It  seemed  as  if  these  strong 
insects  had  proceeded,  like  sacrificial  lambs,  to  the 
altar,  quite  resigned  to  their  fate,  like  the  Oriental 
fatalist  to  his  "Kismet."  In  the  Arabic  the  latter 
word  means  "service."  Indeed,  these  creatures  were 
in  the  service  of  nature,  and  they  met  their  fate 
with  composure  and  died  a  cheerful  death,  as  it 
were,  after  having  fulfilled  a  kind  of  sacred  duty 
in  giving  life  to  new  creatures  of  their  kind. 

In  presenting  here  these  strange  and  gruesome 
examples  from  the  great  picture  book  of  Nature, 
so  often  stained  with  blood — a  book  in  which  we 
find  side  by  side  pleasures  and  pains,  birth  and 
death,  a  book  full  of  murder  and  all  manner  of 
cruel  ends,  and  alas,  all  these  often  as  a  kind  of 
logical  necessity,  the  birth  and  life  of  one  creature 
necessitating  the  disappearance  and  death  of  an- 
other— I  do  so  with  the  intention  of  deducing  from 
it  an  eternal  truth,  a  truth  which  is  written  on  all 
pages  of  the  book  in  indelible  characters,  a  kind 
of  law,  viz.,  the  law  of  the  sex  duty. 

Nature  exacts  from  her  creatures  that  they  should 
assist  her  in  her  endeavors  to  conserve  their  species. 

[118] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

From  this  there  follows  a  sacred  obligation  of 
each  creature,  and  man  cannot  be  exempted  from  it, 
except  in  certain  cases  where  vocation  of  a  special 
kind,  religious  callings,  or  disease  may  constitute  a 
hindrance  to  his  giving  life  to  a  new  creature  be- 
fore laying  down  his  own! 

To  fulfill  this  aim,  nature  created  the  sexual 
instinct,  which  demands  satisfaction  in  an  over- 
mastering way.  At  the  same  time,  she  facilitated 
the  fulfillment  of  this  desire  by  introducing,  long 
before  man  made  his  appearance  on  the  earth,  the 
family  life  amongst  certain  animals,  as  a  kind  of 
model  for  the  married  life  of  man — a  kind  of  a 
crude  pattern  of  the  holy  institution  of  the  church, 
the  matrimonial  union.  Nature  created  the  unity 
of  the  family  in  the  more  highly  organized,  intel- 
ligent animals,  e.g.,  in  certain  species  of  birds,  par- 
rots, swallows,  storks,  swans,  nightingales,  etc. 

With  these  birds  there  exists  a  kind  of  marital 
union  which  could  hardly  be  imagined  to  function 
better  in  man,  and  which,  indeed,  could  with  good 
reason  be  considered  a  model  to  follow  for  not  a 
few  human  married  couples.  According  to  Brehm, 
the  marital  union  of  the  birds  is  "the  most  faithful 
of  all  unions,  which  death  alone  can  part." 

An  example  of  happy  union  is  afforded  even  in 
the  wild  animals  of  prey.  According  to  the  cele- 
brated lion  hunter,  Gerard,  the  lion  is  the  most 

[119] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

gallant  mate  one  could  well  imagine.  He  offers 
the  best  portions  of  his  prey  to  his  partner,  caters 
to  her  desires  in  the  way  of  food,  and  begins  his 
own  repast  only  when  her  appetite  has  been  satis- 
fied. The  same  could  not  be  said  of  all  human 
husbands ! 

Nature  has  her  own  ways  and  means  of  urging 
both  animals  and  men  to  their  marital  duties.  Fre- 
quently she  supplies  a  most  beautiful  marriage- 
portion  by  lending  to  animals,  as  well  as  plants, 
most  prodigal  color  effects  for  the  purpose. 

That  the  colors  are  given  for  this  reason  alone 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  handsome  wedding 
garments  are  withdrawn  when  the  end  in  view  has 
been  attained;  thus,  the  brilliant  coloring  of  fishes 
disappears  after  the  mating  season,  the  flowers 
similarly  fade,  and  even  man  remains  in  his  prime 
only  so  long  as  he  is  capable  of  carrying  out  his 
sexual  and  reproductive  duties. 

Nature  also  frequently  hands  out  a  special  gift 
in  compensation  for  the  attainment  of  her  object, 
e.g.,  the  provision  of  sweet  nectar  in  flowers  for  the 
benefit  of  the  insects  which  effect  their  fertilization. 

If,  however,  all  these  proceedings  fail,  and  if 
there  occur  individuals  who  disdain  the  nectar  of 
love  and  refuse  to  enter  into  wedlock,  nature  is 
capable  of  assuming  a  different  tone,  and  brings 
down  upon  them  diseases  as  an  answer  to  their 

[120] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

conduct  in  opposition  to  her  designs.  Thus,  some 
persons  are  tormented  with  a  very  active  sexual 
impulse,  and  when  these  fail  to  heed  the  call  of 
nature  and  resist,  neurasthenia  or  hysteria,  as  well 
as  disturbances  of  the  heart  or  stomach,  may  result. 

Thus  in  many  such  men  I  have  observed  the 
presence  of  excessive  acidity  of  the  gastric  juice, 
and  in  women  the  same  condition  in  addition  to 
marked  gastric  pain,  eructations,  abdominal  dis- 
tention,  etc.  A  notable  feature  was  the  fact  that 
among  them  there  were  many  single  women  or 
widows  who  were  quite  unaware  of  their  pro- 
nounced impulse  in  this  direction,  and  indeed,  were 
even  wholly  indifferent  to  the  opposite  sex;  the 
impulse  thus  remained  entirely  submerged  in  their 
subconsciousness. 

Impelled  by  their  desires,  many  persons  are  quite 
ready  to  carry  on  their  sexual  functions,  but  un- 
willing to  fulfill  their  duty  of  procreation.  They 
are  desirous,  indeed,  of  experiencing  the  attendant 
enjoyment,  but  want  to  cheat  nature  out  of  the 
payment  exacted  therefor,  viz.,  the  fulfillment  of 
the  duty  of  procreation. 

Here  again  the  transgressor  does  not  remain  un- 
punished. In  men  who  interrupt  the  sexual  act 
prematurely  or  use  a  preventive  device,  neurasthenia, 
disordered  function  of  the  reproductive  organs,  and 
in  many  instances  even  a  partial  or  complete  im- 

[121] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

potence  are  produced.  Similarly,  in  women  who 
utilize  analogous  devices  such  as  preventive  sponges 
and  pessaries,  neurasthenia  and  hysteria  are  of  fre- 
quent occurrence.  Now,  to  be  sure,  neurasthenia 
is  not  in  itself  a  life-shortening  disease,  although 
it  torments  the  person  afflicted  with  it  throughout 
life;  it  is  capable,  however,  of  rather  frequently 
causing  an  elevation  of  blood  pressure  and,  after 
some  interval  of  time,  of  promoting  the  production 
of  arteriosclerosis. 

Such  a  "prophylactic,"  premature  interruption  of 
intercourse,  affording  only  incomplete  sexual  satis- 
faction or  none  at  all,  may  likewise  have  rather 
serious  consequences  as  regards  the  reproductive 
organs  themselves.  The  frequent  local  hyperemia 
resulting  from  the  sexual  excitement  may  very 
readily  lead  to  inflammatory  states  of  the  ovaries 
and  uterus  and  its  covering  layers,  this,  in  turn, 
having  a  tendency  to  shorten  life  and  even  fre- 
quently causing  death  within  a  brief  period  of  time. 

The  same  unfortunate  result  may  likewise  occur 
from  the  fact  that,  as  I  shall  explain  more  fully  in 
the  second  part  of  this  book,  on  the  rapid  ageing  of 
women,  such  procedures  promote  in  marked  degree 
the  occurrence  of  cancer  of  the  uterus,  which  is  a 
very  frequent  source  of  premature  death  in  the 
female  sex. 

Early  death  in  women  is  exceedingly  often  a  re- 

[122] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

suit  of  disturbance  in  the  reproductive  tract.  The 
latter  is,  indeed,  the  most  marvellous  appurtenance 
of  woman,  from  which,  as  a  variation  of  Goethe's 
expression,  one  may  say  there  spring  all  her  trials 
and  woes,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  and  very 
often  without  her  knowledge  of  the  fact. 

Already  in  the  seventeenth  century  the  great  and 
widely  travelled  Flemish  physician,  Jean  Batiste 
van  Helmont,  uttered  the  dictum:  Propter  ova- 
rium  mutter  est,  quod  est,  that  is,  woman  is  what 
she  is  on  account  of  her  ovaries,  and  I  have  shown 
in  my  books  on  "Old  Age  Deferred"  and  "Build- 
ing Human  Intelligence"  that  actually  the  whole 
outward  appearance  of  woman,  her  entire  being  and 
action,  all  her  characteristics  and  her  manner  of 
thought — which  is  altogether  different  from  that  of 
man — are  dependent  solely  upon  her  reproductive 
organs  and  are  influenced  by  these  down  to  the 
minutest  detail. 

It  is  generally  known  that  women  are  compelled 
to  suffer  more  than  men,  but  that  this  suffering  is 
actually  more  readily  borne  by  them  than  by  men. 
This  suffering  is  inflicted  upon  them  directly  or 
indirectly  through  the  reproductive  organs.  The 
most  frequent  diseases  of  women  involve  these 
organs. 

Unfortunately,  however,  such  disease  occurs  with- 
out her  being  at  fault  and,  indeed,  in  the  course 

[123] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

of  the  fulfillment  of  her  sacred  duty,  that  of 
procreation. 

There  exist  unscrupulous  men  who,  before  com- 
plete recovery  from  a  disease  of  the  reproductive 
tract,  such  as  gonorrhea,  dash  into  wedlock  and 
transmit  this  disease  to  their  poor,  innocent  wives, 
who  are  then  often  made  to  suffer  from  it  the  rest 
of  their  lives.  Very  many  of  the  so-called  diseases 
of  women  are  merely  the  consequences  of  such  an 
infection. 

Or,  they  may  result  from  miscarriages,  which 
may  be  caused  by  syphilis  in  the  marital  partner, 
frequently  without  his  knowledge  and  occurring  as 
an  indication  of  a  syphilitic  infection  often  con- 
tracted many  years  previously  and  as  yet  uncured. 
Miscarriages  very  often  constitute  the  source  of  the 
diseases  of  women. 

Frequently  such  miscarriages  occur  like  light- 
ning out  of  a  clear  sky.  It  is  as  though  nature, 
in  her  wisdom,  desired  to  prevent  in  this  manner 
the  propagation  of  damaged  seed. 

It  would  really  seem  incumbent  upon  us  to  as- 
sist nature  in  her  efforts  in  this  direction  and  not 
to  permit  the  occurrence  of  miscarriage,  a  condition 
dangerous  to  health  and  even  to  life.  We  should 
in  good  time  prevent  such  individuals  as  are  un- 
suited  for  propagation  from  contracting  a  marriage 
at  all. 

[124] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

Over  two  thousand  years  ago  Plato  already 
demanded  that  before  marrying,  every  man  and 
woman  should  undergo  a  medical  examination,  and 
my  own  humble  declaration  in  favor  of  this  course 
was  made  long  ago.  Until  the  time  when  such  a 
law  is  enacted  I  would  recommend  to  all  parents 
not  to  allow  their  child  to  marry  any  man  or  woman 
unless  he  or  she  can  produce  a  medical  certificate 
of  fitness  for  marriage  stating,  at  least,  that  he  or 
she  is  not  suffering  from  any  hereditary  or  infec- 
tious disease,  and  that  the  Wassermann  test  of  the 
blood  is  negative. 

Untold  misfortune  could  be  thus  obviated  in 
many,  though  unfortunately  not  all,  instances,  and 
many  women  would  be  spared  a  life-long  martyr- 
dom. For  as  matters  now  stand,  many  women  are 
the  actual  martyrs  to  their  duty,  in  particular  when 
we  consider  that  often,  in  the  fulfillment  of  their 
procreative  obligation,  and  while  they  are  giving 
life  to  a  new  being,  they  are  often  compelled  to 
sacrifice  their  own. 

Woman  has,  indeed,  come  out  with  the  short  end 
of  the  bargain  in  human  reproductive  life;  she  is 
often  like  the  soldier  who  must  stay  at  his  post  and 
lay  down  his  life.  To  be  sure,  the  fact  cannot  be 
denied  that  if  woman  is  exposed,  on  account  of  her 
sexual  life  and  the  attendant  consequences,  to  early 
death — death  while  relatively  young — far  more  than 

[125] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

is  man,  this  is  not  inevitable  and  is  frequently 
brought  about  through  her  own  fault. 

Every  girl  and  every  woman  should  undergo  a 
medical  examination  before  marriage  and  before 
childbirth.  In  this  way  anemic  girls  should  be  pre- 
vented from  marrying  until  their  chlorotic  condi- 
tion— or  their  pulmonary  disease,  if  present — has 
been  recovered  from.  This  is  something  which  I 
am  constantly  preaching  to  mothers  with  anemic 
daughters,  and  which  is  unfortunately  often  dis- 
regarded. Hard  labor  or  miscarriage,  indeed,  oc- 
cur very  frequently  among  women  who  are  not 
entirely  healthy,  that  is,  have  previously  been  sick. 

And  not  infrequently  the  imprudence  of  a  woman 
is  responsible  for  a  miscarriage.  Many  a  woman, 
in  her  enjoyment  of  life,  forgets  the  sacred  obli- 
gations entailed  by  future  motherhood,  indulging 
herself  in  dancing,  riding,  sports,  mountain  climb- 
ing, etc.,  during  the  earlier  months  of  pregnancy. 
In  this  connection  we  learn  from  history  that  the 
wife  of  Emperor  Maximilian,  the  beautiful  Marie 
of  Burgundy,  although  some  months  pregnant, 
joined  in  a  hunt,  was  thrown  from  her  horse  and 
lost  her  life  in  consequence  of  a  miscarriage  thus 
induced. 

Even  where  miscarriages  run  a  favorable  course, 
they  may  very  frequently  be  the  source  of  per- 
sistent disorders  of  the  reproductive  organs,  with 

[126] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

serious  results  as  regards  the  general  system  and 
even  premature  death. 

Highly  dangerous  consequences  may  obtain  where 
a  miscarriage  is  artificially  induced. 

As  various  statistical  records  have  shown,  the  re- 
sult is  a  miserable  death  in  the  very  great  majority 
of  cases,  the  introduction  of  infective  germs  through 
the  puncture  of  the  membranes  which  brings  on  the 
miscarriage  resulting  in  septic  infection  of  the 
blood-stream  and  death  after  frightful  suffering. 

While  the  consequences  of  abortion  are  not  in 
all  cases  so  tragic,  other  serious  effects  which  may 
likewise  prove  fatal  after  a  varying  period  of  time 
may  be  produced,  since  even  in  otherwise  success- 
ful abortions  portions  of  the  ovum  or  its  membranes 
may  remain  behind  and  this  be  followed,  through 
the  agency  of  the  ever-present  putrefactive  germs, 
by  severe  suppurative  inflammation  of  the  uterus. 

If  death  does  not  result,  there  follows  a  disturb- 
ance which  often  continues  for  a  number  of  years 
and  requires  serious  operations,  with  the  result  that 
the  woman's  general  health  is  markedly  undermined 
and  her  body  reduced  practically  to  skin  and  bones. 

Again,  even  if  no  putrefactive  processes  set  in 
and  the  disturbance  runs  an  otherwise  favorable 
course,  the  fact  that  extremely  often  there  has 
remained  behind  a  portion  of  the  ovum  or  its 
covering  membranes  may  give  rise  to  frequent 

[127] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

hemorrhages  from  the  uterus,  which  prove  very 
debilitating  to  the  woman,  or  to  the  development 
of  tumors,  such  as  polyps  of  the  uterus;  further, 
there  may  be  thus  induced  inflammations  of  the 
uterus  and  its  covering  membranes  which  may  again 
persist  for  several  years. 

Thus,  the  result  is  that,  through  these  procedures, 
even  if  their  serious  consequences  are  avoided,  the 
women  remain  in  a  sickly  condition  and  show  a 
muddy,  yellowish  complexion;  and  this,  of  course, 
is  the  surest  way  of  bringing  about  rapid  ageing 
in  previously  fresh-looking,  beautiful  women. 

The  female  organs  are  so  sensitive  to  the  dif- 
ferent manipulations  not  of  a  normal  nature,  that 
the  various  preventive  measures  against  conception, 
sometimes  employed  by  those  fearful  of  responsi- 
bility, are  capable  of  causing  great  damage  to  the 
organs,  and  often  very  serious  disturbances.  At 
the  least  there  remains,  as  a  rule,  a  marked  ner- 
vousness, conditions  of  excitement,  insomnia,  etc., 
whereby  the  physical  appearance  of  such  women 
may  be  impaired.  It  is  certainly  true,  according 
to  my  conviction,  that  a  woman  addicted  to  such 
anticonceptional  practices  never  looks  so  healthy 
and  fresh  as  a  married  woman  who  lets  nature 
take  her  free  course  and  does  not  curtail  the  rights 
of  nature. 

Nowhere  in  my  travels — and  I  have  travelled  to 

[128] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

a  fair  extent,  having  already  seen  the  whole  of 
Europe,  except  Turkey;  the  greater  part  of  the 
United  States  and  Mexico,  and  North  Africa — have 
I  observed  such  fresh  and  healthy-looking  women 
as  the  French  Canadians  in  Quebec.  These  women 
are  also  of  great  beauty  as  a  result  of  the  happy 
admixture  of  the  French  Breton  blood  with  the 
Irish. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  Irish  women  are 
among  the  most  beautiful  women  of  Europe;  in 
general,  the  women  of  all  the  Celtic  races  can  boast 
of  marked  beauty.  Most  of  these  women  of  Que- 
bec have  many  children,  sometimes  six  or  eight,  or 
even  more,  and  strange  to  say,  it  does  not  seem  to 
impair  their  looks. 

,The  French  Canadians  are  the  descendants  of 
the  Bretons  who  emigrated  from  France  several 
hundred  years  ago  to  America — of  a  race  renowned 
even  now  in  France  for  its  good  qualities  and 
proverbial  honesty  and  faithfulness.  Like  all  the 
Catholics  who  live  as  a  minority  in  countries  that 
are  largely  Protestant,  e.g.,  the  Irish  in  America 
and  the  United  Kingdom,  and  the  Catholics  in 
Holland,  they  are  distinguished  by  a  marked  de- 
votion to  the  church. 

Now,  the  Catholic  church  abhors  all  practices 
that  tend  toward  the  prevention  of  motherhood,  and 
metes  out  the  heaviest  punishment  for  them;  but 

9  [ 129  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

the  greatest  punishment  at  her  command  she  lays 
on  abortion  criminally  provoked,  viz.,  excommuni- 
cation, or  practically,  exclusion  from  the  church. 

Aside  from  the  scruples  of  conscience,  the  fecun- 
dity of  the  French  Canadians  may  have  been  fa- 
vored by  the  fact  that  this  happy  people  lives  under 
very  favorable  material  conditions.  They  possess 
a  most  fertile  soil,  which  produces  some  of  the 
finest  wheat  of  the  world,  similar  to  that  of  the 
province  of  Manitoba,  likewise  famous  for  its  prod- 
ucts of  the  soil. 

However,  even  in  countries  where  the  soil  is  less 
fertile  I  have  often  noticed  that  particularly  the 
families  blessed  with  many  children  are  better  off 
than  those  with  few  children. 

The  abundance  of  children  proves  a  decided 
stimulus  to  work  for  the  average  father  of  a  fam- 
ily, and  at  the  same  time  it  has  a  very  wholesome 
influence  upon  his  character,  for  in  such  men  it  is 
rare  that  such  bad  habits  are  formed  as  hard  drink- 
ing, nocturnal  dissipation,  gambling,  etc. 

Thus  I  believe  it  was  with  full  justification  that 
in  my  book,  ''Old  Age  Deferred,"  I  dwelt  upon  the 
great  advantages  of  married  life  as  a  means  for 
longevity  and  against  early  ageing.  Alas,  the 
writer  of  these  lines  had  not  yet  had  the  leisure 
and  opportunity  to  follow  his  own  precepts  and 
get  married,  but  the  five  terrible  years  he  recently 

[130] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

went  through  were  not  propitious  for  such  an 
undertaking. 

The  possession  of  many  children  proves  indeed 
a  stimulus  to  work  for  the  honest  father  of  a  fam- 
ily. Where  many  childish  mouths  are  opening  daily 
he  is  obliged  to  put  into  each  of  them  something 
to  satisfy  a  healthy  appetite,  and  so  must  work 
the  more. 

So  it  is  with  man;  but  it  is  the  same  thing  in 
the  animal  world,  for  it  has  been  so  ordered  by 
nature  that  the  parents  must  work  and  provide  for 
their  young. 

The  bearing  of  children  leads  to  this  necessity, 
both  in  man  and  animals,  of  obtaining  the  where- 
withal to  rear  them.  And  so  one  sees  quite  plainly 
that  there  is  a  direct  connection  between  the  sex 
instinct  and  work.  The  one  leads  necessarily  to 
the  other.  Thus  nature  teaches  man  and  also  ani- 
mals to  work.  Indeed,  there  are  many  examples 
in  nature,  from  the  animal  as  well  as  the  plant 
kingdoms,  that  nature  is  the  great  schoolmistress 
for  work. 

She  makes  man  and  animals  work  by  giving  them 
the  instincts  of  hunger  and  sex.  Hunger  forces 
them  to  work  for  its  satisfaction  and  the  sexual 
instinct,  after  having  been  satisfied,  leads  necessarily 
to  work  through  the  consequences  of  the  same,  the 
children  or  young  that  are  born  having  thenceforth 

[131] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

to  be  fed.  The  necessity  of  providing  for  their 
young  drives  man  and  animals  alike  to  work! 

Solicitude  for  the  offspring  manifests  itself  in 
all  living  creatures,  even  plants,  but  strange  to  say, 
only  with  man,  the  king  of  earthly  creatures,  does 
it  seem  to  be  sometimes  wanting.  It  would  appear 
that  such  a  thing  as  the  prevention  of  motherhood 
is  entirely  unknown  in  the  animal  world;  it  seems 
to  be  only  a  human  invention.  Among  the  animals 
an  occasional  murder  of  the  offspring  may  take 
place,  but  if  it  does  occur  at  all,  it  occurs  incom- 
parably more  seldom  than  in  man. 

As  a  rule,  under  such  conditions  it  takes  place  a 
short  time  after  the  birth  of  the  offspring.  A 
mother  cat,  for  example,  might  eat  a  newborn  kit- 
ten on  the  first  day,  or  a  sow  a  newborn  pig.  In 
such  instances,  there  is  an  extenuating  factor  that 
applies  also  to  the  human  child  murderess,  viz.,  the 
mental  aberration  so  frequently  present  immedi- 
ately or  a  short  time  after  birth. 

In  animals,  murder  of  the  young  is  often  based 
on  practical  motives.  Thus  one  may  sometimes 
observe,  even  with  some  of  the  more  intelligent 
species  of  birds,  that  they  kill  their  young  when 
these  are  in  defective  health  and  unable  to  support 
the  fatiguing  journey  to  the  southern  climates  at 
the  approach  of  cold  weather  in  the  fall.  But  the 
same  thing  has  occurred  also  with  some  of  the 

[132] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

primitive  peoples,  e.g,,  with  the  Patagonians,  whom 
the  explorers  described  as  killing  their  old  women. 
Even  some  of  the  most  cultivated  nations  of  by- 
gone ages  resorted  to  such  expedients,  and  of  the 
Chinese,  travellers  even  in  recent  times  relate  such 
treatment  of  children  in  deficient  health  or  of  the 
female  sex. 

Why,  then,  should  we  look  askance  at  the  animal 
kingdom  on  account  of  such  occurrences  when 
some  species  of  the  most  intelligent  creatures  and 
masters  of  the  earth  persist  in  setting  the  bad  ex- 
ample, even  though,  as  a  rule,  no  similar  excuses 
for  these  acts  among  them  can  be  offered?  It 
seems  to  me  a  positive  fact  that,  on  the  whole,  as 
regards  motherly  love  and  the  rearing  and  careful 
treatment  of  their  young,  animals,  and  especially 
the  birds,  which  stand  higher  in  brain  capacity,  as 
a  rule,  than  other  animal  species,  could  be  held 
up  before  many  women  and  men  as  a  noble  ex- 
ample for  them  to  follow. 

Whereas  there  are  women  who  fail  to  look  out 
and  provide  for  their  young,  and  men  who  are  so 
vile  and  heartless  as  to  throw  the  burden  of  mother- 
hood on  a  poor  girl  and  forsake  her  afterwards, 
one  may  readily  see — and  it  is  one  of  the  most 
touching  sights — with  what  zeal  in  the  bird  species 
the  father  and  mother  work  to  fill  the  beaks  of 
their  young. 

[133] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Many  a  leisure  hour  have  I  spent  enjoying  the 
sight  of  a  hen  leading  her  little  chicks  about  and 
observing  the  care  and  attention  with  which  she 
instructs  her  children. 

In  the  animal  kingdom  are  to  be  found  many 
examples  of  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  the  mother  for 
her  young.  This  applies  not  only  to  the  more 
highly  organized  animals,  but  likewise  to  insects 
and  the  like  creatures.  Thus,  Bonnet,6  a  promi- 
nent Swiss  naturalist  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
observed  that  a  certain  mother-spider — Aranea  sac- 
cata — which  he  dropped  into  the  burrow  of  the 
blood-thirsty  ant-lion,  courageously  defended  the 
sac  fastened  on  her  back  and  containing  her  eggs, 
which  the  ant-lion  pulled  away. 

Instead  of  abandoning  her  eggs  in  order  to  save 
herself,  she  went  to  her  doom  with  them,  constitut- 
ing an  example  of  a  self-sacrificing  mother  love  of 
such  degree  as  would  not  often  be  observed  in  man. 

Aside  from  the  spider,  which,  of  course,  is  among 
the  most  intelligent  of  invertebrates,  as  indicated 
by  its  marvellous  spinning  and  bridge-building  art, 
in  which  it  was  already  an  adept  thousands  of 
years  before  the  advent  of  man,  mention  may  be 
made  of  a  much  despised  creature  as  an  example 
of  tender  motherly  care,  viz.,  the  common  house  fly. 

Whereas  there  are  persons  who  harbor  no  scruple 

6  Quoted  by  Kirby  and  Spencer,  Entomology,  Part  I  ,  p.  309. 

[134] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

in  bringing  children  into  the  world  without  con- 
cerning themselves  in  the  least  about  them,  no 
mother-fly  would  ever  deposit  her  eggs  without 
having  previously  taken  care  to  secure  for  them 
the  necessities  for  their  future  existence. 

To  this  end  she  deposits  her  eggs  upon  various 
food  materials,  the  quality  and  suitability  of  which 
have  often  been  investigated  beforehand.  This  pro- 
cedure is  followed  with  great  circumspection  in 
many  kinds  of  wasps.  These  insects  puncture,  with 
a  dexterity  no  professor  of  animal  physiology  could 
imitate,  a  nerve  ganglion  situated  in  the  back  of 
the  head  of  the  worm  which  they  have  made  their 
prey,  thereby  paralyzing  him.  The  worm  is  thus 
rendered  motionless,  but  remains  alive  nevertheless 
until  the  larva  crawls  out.  The  larva  would  have 
perished  had  the  worm  already  become  the  seat  of 
putrefaction;  the  wasp  therefore  allows  the  worm 
to  stay  alive  for  the  purpose. 

A  beetle  known  as  Balaninus  elephas,  which  feeds 
on  acorns,  hazelnuts,  etc.,  works  with  sagacity  and 
exceeding  industry  in  the  interest  of  its  posterity. 
It  bores  a  hole  into  the  acorn  for  the  purpose  of 
depositing  an  egg  in  it.  For  boring  purposes 
nature  has  provided  it  with  a  sharp  boring  instru- 
ment not  unlike  a  long  spear.  The  work  done  by 
this  beetle  is  decidedly  tedious;  according  to  the 
observations  of  Fabre  it  takes  it  as  long  as  eight 

[135] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

hours  to  bore  through  to  the  bottom  of  the  acorn. 
Here,  in  the  depths  of  the  acorn,  is  located  the  soft, 
succulent  mass  which  the  newly  hatched  larva  of 
the  beetle  requires. 

Even  after  its  prolonged,  hard,  and  laborious 
task  is  completed  it  may  happen  that  the  beetle 
cannot  lay  its  egg  if  it  finds  on  closer  investigation 
that  the  condition  of  the  nutriment  in  the  acorn 
does  not  answer  the  requirements  of  its  offspring. 
A  man  would  be  tired  out  after  the  eight  hours 
of  hard  work;  but  not  so  this  beetle  with  its 
mother-love.  It  proceeds  to  bore  into  another  acorn 
in  the  same  way.  I  am  certainly  not  mistaken 
when  I  say  that  many  a  mother  would  not  be 
capable  of  such  perseverance.  The  strangest  part 
of  it  is  that  these  insects,  like  the  flies  and  locusts 
and  many  other  kinds  of  insects,  are  never  per- 
mitted to  see  the  offspring  for  which  they  have 
been  working  and  toiling  so  hard;  for  such  is  their 
tragic  fate,  that  they  are  doomed  to  die  very  soon 
after  they  have  laid  their  eggs,  in  fact,  often  im- 
mediately after  it. 

How  cruelly  nature  treats  the  insects,  some  of 
us  may  say.  One  might  even  use  blasphemous 
words  in  criticising  nature  for  such  behavior. 

And  yet  the  wise  man  will  find  in  this  another 
instance  of  nature's  great  wisdom  and  foresight. 

Before  unjustly  criticising  nature  one  should  re- 

[136] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

member  that  if  she  were  to  allow  but  one  pair  of 
insects  to  reproduce  their  kind  for  twenty-five  years 
without  hindrance  or  danger  to  their  offspring,  and 
without  any  of  the  eggs  laid  during  this  period  be- 
ing destroyed,  the  earth  would  swarm  with  them, 
they  would  be  met  with  crawling  about  everywhere, 
and  all  balance  and  equality  in  nature's  household 
would  be  lost. 

The  natural  consequence  of  the  foregoing  is  that 
death  is  a  bitter  necessity!  Life  of  some  of  the 
animal  species,  such  as  the  animals  and  birds  of 
prey,  for  example,  is  possible  only  through  the 
death  of  another  species.  This  holds  good  for  man 
as  well,  and  so  we  see  that  the  death  of  animals 
and  plants  is  essential  to  the  life  and  welfare  of 
man. 

When  the  strict  vegetarians  invoke,  as  they  some- 
times do,  as  one  of  their  chief  arguments  that  it  is 
a  sin  to  kill  living  creatures,  thus  abhorring  the 
sacrifice  of  animals  for  our  sustenance,  I  should 
like  to  remind  them  of  the  fact  that  plants  are 
likewise  living  creatures,  showing  similarity  in  their 
build  and  structure,  their  anatomy  and  physiology, 
to  man  and  the  animals. 

It  is  again  a  species  of  murder  when  uncon- 
trolled and  mischievous  children  tear  out  a  plant 
with  its  roots,  just  to  play  with  it  and  later  throw 
it  away. 

[  137  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

There  is  no  escape  from  the  fact  that  we  can 
only  live  and  exist  by  putting  other  creatures  to 
death.  It  is  a  bitter  truth,  that  life  produces  death, 
but  it  is  also  true  that  death  engenders  life.  The 
same  hand  that  gives  death  also  gives  life. 

Here  again  there  is  occasion  to  admire  the  re- 
markable foresight  of  nature,  and  likewise  her  be- 
nevolence to  all  creatures,  for  she  has  given  the 
greatest  fertility  and  countless,  even  millions,  of 
eggs  to  such  of  the  animals  as  live  for  a  very  short 
period  of  time,  and  to  such  of  the  creatures  as  are 
most  exposed  to  persecution  on  the  part  of  other 
animals  or  of  man.  This  explains,  e.g.,  why  oys- 
ters and  herring  produce  so  many  millions  of  eggs. 

Such  a  precaution  is  not  necessary  in  man.  Be- 
ing endowed  by  nature  with  wonderful  intelligence, 
he  has  the  weapons  wherewith  to  defend  himself 
successfully  against  the  countless  dangers  which 
threaten  all  living  creatures  without  exception.  For 
this  reason  nature  has  limited  the  fecundity  of  the 
human  race  to  one  or  occasionally  two  children. 

But  for  the  very  reason  that  the  offspring  of 
man  is  so  restricted  in  comparison  with  other 
creatures,  it  would  seem  to  be  his  duty  to  care  and 
provide  the  better  for  the  children  he  has,  a  duty 
in  which  the  short-lived  insect  world  sets  him  a 
splendid  example. 

And  whereas  the  possession  of  such  a  charming 

[138] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

creature  as  a  child  proves  a  powerful  stimulus  to 
the  affection  and  love  of  the  mother,  such  a  stimu- 
lus is  entirely  wanting  in  the  insect  world,  for  with 
few  exceptions,  such  as  the  spider — which  is  not  a 
true  insect — they  never  see  the  offspring  to  which 
they  have  given  life.  Yet,  as  described  above,  in- 
sects are  capable  of  working  for  hours,  indefatig- 
ably.  for  children  they  will  never  behold! 

Now,  if  one  does  not  care  to  attribute  to  the 
insect  a  prophetic  gift,  the  ability  to  foresee  events 
that  will  take  place  after  its  death,  and  likewise  a 
rare  conception  of  duty  and  high  intellectual  quali- 
ties which  prevailing  scientific  opinion  would  deny 
even  more  highly  organized  animals,  naught  re- 
mains but  to  confess  that  it  is  nature  herself  who, 
by  instinct,  compels  the  insect  to  work.  We  have 
in  this,  indeed,  a  very  instructive  example  of  how 
nature  drives  on  her  creatures  to  labor  as  the 
natural  consequence  of  an  instinct,  that  of  sex. 
By  planting  the  instincts  of  hunger  and  sex  in  the 
breast  of  each  creature,  she  forces  them  to  work. 

Every  living  creature  is  thus  destined  by  nature 
to  labor,  and  he  could  no  more  withdraw  himself 
from  work  than  he  could  exist  without  feeling  in 
his  bosom  these  two  powerful  instincts,  self- 
preservation  (i.e.,  hunger)  and  the  sexual  instinct. 
No  normal  creature  on  this  earth  fails  to  experi- 
ence these  pangs. 

[139] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Every  creature,  be  he  a  king  or  a  pauper,  is  in  es- 
sence a  worker.  The  animals  are  likewise  workers. 

Even  the  earth  worm!  When  the  careless  child 
treads  on  and  crushes  the  despised  earth  worm, 
little  does  he  know  that  it  is  to  the  worm  that  he 
and  his  parents  owe  in  large  measure  their  daily 
bread;  the  worm,  that  with  tireless  energy  pene- 
trates and  drills  the  earth  in  all  directions,  thus 
assisting  in  its  ventilation  and  contributing  to  its 
fertility! 

Even  the  plants  are  workers.  For  if  they  did 
not  work  they  could  not  exist.  They  do  work  in 
manufacturing  starch  from  the  carbon  dioxide  of 
the  air  under  the  influence  of  the  sun's  rays.  They 
are  also  working  when  they  draw  up  from  the  soil 
the  mineral  salts  which  are  indispensable  for  their 
nutrition  and  maintenance. 

They  are  compelled  to  work,  too,  in  the  interest 
of  their  fertilization  by  manufacturing  the  sweet 
nectar,  which  they  present  as  a  fee  to  the  insects 
that  constitute  the  intermediaries  in  the  propaga- 
tion of  their  kind.  Still  harder  work  must  they 
perform  when,  lacking  such  intermediaries,  they  are 
obliged  themselves  to  carry  out  self-fertilization. 

Thus,  wherever  we  look  into  nature,  we  see  work 
going  on,  and  as  the  chief  motive  in  work  we  find 
everywhere  the  same  causes,  viz.,  the  instincts,  hun- 
ger, i.e.,  the  instinct  of  self-preservation,  and  sex, 

[  140] 


Avoidance  of  Parenthood 

i.e.,  the  instinct  of  procreation.  In  matrimony  we 
note  the  intimate  connection  between  the  instincts 
and  work  as  their  direct  consequence.  Sex  leads 
to  the  blessing  of  man  with  children,  and  this,  in 
turn,  proves  a  powerful  stimulus  for  work  to  the 
parents. 

The  greater  the  blessing,  i.e.,  the  more  children 
there  are,  the  more  diligently  the  work  is  done,  the 
greater  the  industry,  and  the  greater  the  success 
of  the  clever  worker.  In  families  in  which  the 
father  works  diligently  no  inducements  are  afforded 
to  practices  tending  toward  child  prevention,  espe- 
cially in  Europe  in  the  present  period,  after  the 
loss  of  millions  of  male  workers. 

Work  is  of  divine  origin,  and  a  great  promoter 
of  health.  When  the  muscles  are  active  more  blood 
circulates  through  the  vessels,  organic  processes 
and  combustion  in  general  are  enhanced,  and  the 
general  health  is  improved. 

Among  all  the  varieties  of  work,  there  is  none 
that  equals  in  its  benefits  that  of  the  rural,  rustic 
laborer.  To  the  muscular  exercise  are  added  the 
benefits  of  the  fresh,  open  air  and  the  effects  of 
the  rays  of  that  health-dispensing  and  life-giving 
celestial  body,  the  sun.  There  is  probably  no  other 
form  of  labor,  moreover,  which  so  certainly  and  in 
so  many  ways  repays  the  work  expended  as  that 
relating  to  mother  earth,  the  soil.  It  constitutes 

[141] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

also  the  safest  investment,  a  lesson  taught  by  the 
consequences  of  the  late  war,  and  which  the  writer 
of  these  lines  should  have  learned  beforehand,  for 
he  would  then  not  have  lost  all  his  means,  invested 
in  supposedly  safe  securities. 

On  the  whole,  every  form  of  work  and  all  man- 
ner of  activity  is  beneficial  to  the  body.  Activity 
results  in  a.  better  supply  of  the  vessels  and  tissues 
with  that  life  and  health  giving  medium,  the  blood. 
There  is  also  literal  truth  in  the  Arabic  proverb, 
"Hareket  bereket" — "activity  brings  riches."  It 
also  brings  health,  if  carried  on  within  reasonable 
limits,  and  can  best  serve  the  purpose  to  which  this 
book  is  dedicated — the  prevention  of  premature 
death. 


[142] 


PART  II 
The  Rapid  Ageing  of  Women 


INTRODUCTION; 

TO    PART   II 

/CERTAIN  modern,  harmful  tendencies  of  per- 
sonal conduct  which  have  been  rather  obtru- 
sively noticeable  of  late  induced  the  author  to  take 
up  for  independent  discussion  these  and  other  short- 
comings and  sins  of  omission — not  all  of  them 
appertaining,  however,  specifically  to  the  female 
sex — which  could  not  be  dealt  with  in  his  book  on 
"Old  Age  Deferred,"  on  account  of  lack  of  space. 
As  these  shortcomings  expose  womankind  not  only 
to  rapid  ageing  but  also  in  many  instances  to  pre- 
mature death,  it  would  seem  highly  desirable  that 
the  admonitions  herein  presented  should  fall  upon 
fertile  soil. 


10  [  145  ] 


THE    INFLUENCE   OF    SMOKING    ON    THE   FEMALE 
ORGANISM 

""THE  shrunken  and  flaccid  features  and  facial 
muscles  of  even  relatively  young  women  from 
Russia,  Greece,  and  the  Orient  who  came  to  con- 
sult me  in  Carlsbad  in  the  years  preceding  the 
late  war  were  often  very  striking,  and  when  I  in- 
quired into  the  cause  of  the  condition,  I  found  that 
nearly  all  of  these  women  were  smokers,  and  had 
been  addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco  for  years. 

That  their  appearance  was  not  the  result  of 
some  other  factor,  such  as  climatic  influences,  was 
shown  by  the  fact  that  I  observed  the  same  con- 
dition in  women  from  western  countries,  who  were 
heavy  smokers.  Thus,  in  1914  I  had  occasion  to 
see  a  young  lady  from  New  York,  who  had  previ- 
ously been  a  renowned  beauty,  yet  at  that  time,  in 
spite  of  being  only  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 
looked  like  a  woman  of  about  forty,  by  reason 
of  her  yellowish  complexion  and  flabby,  withered 
features.  She  smoked  cigarettes  from  morning  till 
night,  and  was  afflicted  with  a  distressing  cough, 
doubtless  also  on  account  of  her  passion  for  smok- 
ing, which  even  kept  her  from  sleeping  at  night. 

[147] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

There  have  also  come  under  my  observation  in  the 
last  few  years  young  lady  patients  from  the  in- 
terior who — doubtless  as  one  of  the  many  un- 
pleasant manifestations  consequent  upon  the  late 
war — were  likewise  tobacco  devotees  and  showed 
the  same  premature  flabbiness  and  "fading"  of  the 
features,  together  with  somewhat  sunken  cheeks, 
and  eyes  that  had  lost  the  fire  of  youth. 

Aside  from  their  flabby  and  drooping  facial  mus- 
culature, all  these  women  and  young  girls  showed 
a   similar   condition   of   the   other   muscles    of   the 
body.     They  were  no  longer  so  sprightly  and  re- 
silient as  healthy  women  and  young  girls  generally 
are,   their  fatty  covering  layer  had   disappeared— 
as  had  also  in  part  the  muscle  tissues  themselves,— 
the  muscles  were  reduced  and  flabby,  and  the  over- 
lying skin  of  an  unhealthy  pallor. 

All  this  need  not  surprise  us  when  we  reflect 
that  tobacco,  according  to  the  investigations  of 
Hertoghe,  is  highly  prejudicial  to  an  organ  upon 
which  the  tone  of  all  the  muscles  and  tissues  of 
the  body,  and  consequently  its  freshness  of  appear- 
ance, depend,  viz.,  the  thyroid  gland.  The  latter  is, 
indeed,  one  of  the  most  important  organs  in  the 
body. 

The  thyroid  gland  regulates  all  the  vital  pro- 
cesses. Body  nutrition  as  a  whole,  blood  forma- 
tion and  the  circulation,  the  activity  of  the  heart, 

[  148] 


Influence  of  Smoking 

the  entire  nervous  system,  and  even  the  condition 
and  outward  appearance  of  the  skin  and  its  ap- 
pendages, the  hairs,  are  under  the  control  of  its 
powerful  influence. 

The  thyroid  plays  a  particularly  important  role 
in  the  life  of  woman,  owing  to  the  fact  that, 
through  its  close  relations  with  the  reproductive 
glands,  it  takes  an  active  part  in  all  modifications 
of  the  latter  organs. 

Thus,  swelling  and  enlargement  of  the  thyroid 
gland  frequently  occurs  during  menstruation.  Even 
among  young  girls  this  organ  enlarges  during  the 
period  of  puberty,  and  in  pregnancy  it  often  at- 
tains a  considerable  size  or  may  even  become  an 
actual  goiter.  Thyroid  enlargement  frequently  oc- 
curs in  diseases  and  altered  conditions  of  the  fe- 
male reproductive  organs,  as  well  as  during  the 
most  trying  stage  of  woman's  sexual  life,  in  which 
she  bids  farewell  to  youth  and  becomes  an  elderly 
person,  namely,  the  change  of  life  or  menopause. 

All  this  accounts  for  the  fact  that  goiter  is  a 
commoner  condition  in  women  than  in  men.  In 
the  former,  because  of  the  special  circumstances  of 
their  sex  life,  this  important  gland  is  driven  to 
much  greater  heights  of  activity  than  in  men,  and 
for  this  very  reason  rapid  ageing  is  likely  to  occur 
oftener  in  relatively  young  women  than  in  men. 

Reflection  upon  the   important   function   of  the 

[149] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

thyroid  gland  above  referred  to  will  lead  one  to 
understand  even  more  plainly  why  morbid  changes 
in  this  organ  open  the  way  to  rapid  ageing  in 
women. 

This  is  especially  evident  in  a  certain  disease 
condition  characterized  by  complete  or  partial  wast- 
ing of  the  thyroid  gland — myxedema. 

The  highest  grade  of  this  thyroid  failure  to  which 
myxedema  is  due  is  but  seldom  encountered,  but 
partial  forms  of  it,  consisting  of  a  simple  weakness 
or  debility  of  the  organ,  are  much  more  frequent, 
in  fact  of  every-day  occurrence.  The  symptoms 
arising  from  such  a  condition  are  so  numerous  and 
frequently  so  inconspicuous,  that  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing the  disorder  sometimes  remains  unrecognized 
and  patients  live  and  die  with  it  in  the  absence  of 
any  clinical  diagnosis  of  the  disorder. 

There  exists,  however,  a  group  of  typical  symp- 
toms by  virtue  of  which,  when  they  occur  together, 
the  condition  betrays  itself  to  the  specially  trained 
medical  eye.  Among  these  may  be  particularly 
mentioned  premature  grayness  and  loss  of  the  hair, 
the  occurrence  of  obesity  without  an  excessive  in- 
take of  food  (though  but  seldom  in  smokers),  the 
premature  appearance  of  wrinkles  and  creases  in 
the  skin,  irregular  menstruation  and  frequent  flood- 
ing, lassitude,  impaired  memory,  and  a  yellowish, 
dry  facial  skin,  with  flabby  features,  etc. 

[150] 


Influence  of  Smoking 

To  these  symptoms  are  added,  in  the  more  ad- 
vanced cases,  puffiness  below  the  eyes,  bloated  face 
and  hands,  and  a  marked  sensitiveness  to  cold. 

These  women  nearly  always  exhibit  a  more  or 
less  pronounced  nervousness,  though  in  the  more 
advanced  cases  there  is  an  actual  state  of  apathy. 
According  to  Hertoghe,  gallstone  disease  is  of  ex- 
ceedingly frequent  occurrence  in  these  women. 

That  such  premature  ageing  is  dependent  upon 
changes  in  the  thyroid  gland  is  most  strikingly 
shown  in  that  upon  ingestion  of  fresh  preparations 
of  this  gland  nearly  all  of  the  symptoms  above 
referred  to  are  improved  or  caused  to  disappear, 
as  I  have  often  personally  had  occasion  to  observe 
and  have  noted  in  a  previous  work. 

Yet  it  should  be  emphasized  that  this  drug, 
which  is  by  no  means  harmless  in  the  hands  of 
the  laity,  should  be  taken  only  under  the  close 
supervision  of  a  physician — in  which  event,  accord- 
ing to  my  own  experience  extending  over  many 
years,  such  ultimate  unpleasant  effects  as  cardiac 
palpitation,  sleeplessness,  copious  sweating,  etc., 
may  with  certainty  be  avoided. 

To  obviate  rapid  ageing  of  women,  therefore,  all 
harmful  influences  reacting  upon  this  gland,  which 
plays  so  important  a  role  in  their  lives,  must  be 
carefully  avoided.  Of  these  prejudicial  factors  to- 
bacco comes  next  to  alcohol,  according  to  the  in- 

[151] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

vestigations  of  Hertoghe1  in  Antwerp.  At  first  it 
stimulates  the  thyroid,  but  this  is  followed  by  ex- 
cessive activity,  and  the  latter,  in  turn,  as  is  ob- 
served in  all  other  glandular  organs  and  with 
especial  frequency  in  the  reproductive  glands,  by 
exhaustion  and  such  a  state  of  inactivity  that  the 
gland  can  no  longer  carry  on  its  many  important 
functions,  or  do  so  only  in  an  imperfect  manner. 

The  thyroid  gland  is  likewise  harmed  by  tobacco 
in  the  male  sex,  but  the  injury  caused  in  women 
is  far  more  lasting,  because  the  thyroid  in  the  lat- 
ter, by  reason  of  the  various  phases  of  female 
sexual  life,  particularly  pregnancy,  lactation,  and 
the  menopause,  as  well  as  the  irritations  and  dis- 
eases of  the  uterus  and  ovaries,  is  much  more  ex- 
posed to  overstrain  and  various  fatiguing  influences 
than  that  of  the  male. 

Because  of  the  differences  in  bodily  construction 
and  the  special  circumstances  of  the  sexual  life  of 
woman,  the  latter  is  already  less  capable  of  resist- 
ing the  effects  of  tobacco  than  man,  for  tobacco 
acts  very  prejudicially  not  only  on  the  thyroid 
gland  but  also  on  the  sex  glands.  This  has  been 
shown  by  a  series  of  experiments  carried  out  on 
animals.  Clinical  experience  teaches  that  in  the 
male  sex  impotence  may  occur  as  a  result  of  im- 

1  Hertoghe :  "Der    chronische    gntartige    Hypothyroidismus,"    Leh- 
mann's  Verlag,  Munich,  1900. 

[152] 


Influence  of  Smoking 

moderate  use  of  nicotine.  Its  effect  on  the  func- 
tion of  the  ovaries  is  no  less  harmful,  so  that  in 
women  disturbances  of  menstruation  and  even 
sterility  may  result. 

While  tobacco  produces  harmful  effects  on 
women  who  are  already  completely  developed  sex- 
ually, its  injurious  action  is  even  more  serious  in 
incompletely  developed,  immature  young  girls, 
among  whom  smoking  nowadays  is  unfortunately 
becoming  more  and  more  prevalent.  Indeed,  the 
pernicious  influence  of  tobacco  on  the  organisms 
of  young  girls  is,  in  my  opinion,  a  matter  which 
the  governmental  authorities  cannot  allow  to  pass 
unnoticed. 

Such  a  multitude  of  men  have  been  lost  as  a 
result  of  the  war,  whether  on  the  battlefield  or 
through  disease  the  result  of  privations  and  inade- 
quate nutrition,  that  it  would  be  a  great  pity  if 
those  who  embody  the  hopes  of  the  nation  were 
so  seriously  to  imperil  their  sublime  duties  as  future 
mothers  and  propagators  of  the  race,  out  of  sheer 
folly  and  childish  whims. 

This  condition  logically  calls  for  the  passage  of 
laws  that  will  forbid  smoking  by  young  women 
and  impose  a  severe  penalty  upon  the  purchase 
of  tobacco  by  them.  It  would  also  be  a  highly 
desirable  thing  for  the  welfare  of  the  people  if 
the  clergy  would  exhort  parents,  from  the  pulpit, 

[153] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

to  exert  a  more  strict  control  over  their  children 
in  this  direction  and  impressively  warn  them 
against  any  indulgence  and  lack  of  reserve  which 
would  later  wreak  a  terrible  vengeance  from  the 
health  standpoint,  not  to  mention  that  of  morality. 

The  delicate  body  tissues  of  young  girls,  in 
common  with  those  of  the  female  organism  in 
general,  are  far  more  jeopardized  by  tobacco  than 
those  of  men.  Nicotine  acts,  like  most  other 
poisons,  in  a  direct  manner  on  the  tissues,  and  in 
particular  upon  those  of  the  blood-vessels,  as  was 
first  demonstrated  by  the  investigations  of  Adler 
and  Hensel2  and  later  by  a  number  of  other 
workers.  While  they  are  perhaps  not  identically 
the  same,  these  tissue  changes  strongly  suggest 
those  found  in  hardening  of  the  arteries. 

Everyday  clinical  experience  shows  that  harden- 
ing of  the  arteries  occurs  especially  early  in  heavy 
smokers. 

As  already  mentioned  in  the  first  part  of  this 
book,  there  is,  aside  from  syphilis,  no  other  factor 
(not  even  alcohol)  which  plays  so  harmful  a  role 
in  the  production  of  arteriosclerosis  as  heavy  smok- 
ing. The  first  result  is  an  elevation  of  the  blood 
pressure,  which,  as  is  well  known,  favors  the  pro- 
duction of  arteriosclerosis  in  that  a  state  of  tension 
in  the  vascular  channels  is  maintained  which  is 


2  Deutsche  medizinische  Wochenschrift,  No.  8,  1906. 

[154] 


Influence  of  Smoking 

later  accompanied  by  morbid  changes  in  the  tissues 
of  the  vessel  walls. 

As  the  condition  proceeds  further,  there  next 
results  a  narrowing  of  the  lumen  of  the  vessels, 
so  that  the  tissues  are  only  with  difficulty  and  in- 
adequately supplied  with  blood.  Owing  to  insuf- 
ficient nutrition  of,  for  example,  the  hair  follicles, 
the  teeth,  etc.,  these  appendages  then  fall  out,  and 
owing  to  scanty  nutrition  of  the  tissues  of  the  skin, 
the  latter  undergoes  shrinkage,  and  folds  and  wrin- 
kles make  their  appearance.  Not  so  unreasonably, 
therefore,  did  French  investigators  long  ago  make 
the  statement  that  every  one  appears  as  old  as  his 
arteries  are.  ("On  a  1'age  de  ses  arteres.") 

Yet  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  think  that  this 
condition  of  affairs  occurs  only  in  persons  of  rather 
advanced  age.  Even  a  considerable  number  of 
young  men  have  hardened  arteries  without  being 
aware  of  it,  as  was  demonstrated  in  the  late  war, 
in  many  tissue  sections  from  young  soldiers  who 
had  never  complained  of  any  bodily  disturbance 
during  their  life  time.  As  a  rule,  only  heavy 
smoking  leads  to  such  serious  results,  unless  it  be 
in  the  children  of  arteriosclerotic  parents  or  in 
young  girls  and  women,  on  whose  delicate  tissues 
smoking  acts  much  more  detrimentally. 

Particularly  harmful  in  this  connection  are  cigars 
of  high  nicotine  content.  Fortunately,  women  who 

[155] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

smoke  cigars  are  not  many.  To  my  mind  a  cigar 
in  the  mouth  imparts  to  any  woman,  however  beau- 
tiful, a  rather  mannish  aspect,  and  when,  some 
years  ago,  I  was  taken  to  a  ladies'  club  in  Copen- 
hagen, in  which  the  women  smoked  one  cigar  after 
another,  I  was  led  mentally  to  supply  beards  and 
side  whiskers  on  their  faces. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  cannot,  in  all  fairness,  as- 
sert that  an  occasional  cigarette  in  the  mouth  of 
a  lady  would  give  her  an  unwomanly  appearance. 
Furthermore,  the  harmful  effects  previously  de- 
scribed should  not  occur  if  women  already  com- 
pletely developed  in  body  and  mind  smoked  a  few 
small  cigarettes  a  day.  Only  if  they  are  the  off- 
spring of  parents  suffering  from  hardening  of  the 
arteries  should  they  preferably  abstain  completely 
from  smoking. 

It  is  important,  however,  that  smoking  should 
never  be  indulged  in  on  an  empty  stomach,  that 
only  a  very  mild  variety  of  tobacco  should  be  used, 
and  further,  that  it  should  be  smoked  slowly  and 
not  in  rapidly  repeated  puffs,  that  the  smoke  should 
not  be  inhaled,  and  that  it  should  not,  as  foolish 
girls  in  their  teens  are  so  fond  of  demonstrating, 
be  swallowed  and  then  blown  out  again  through 
the  nose.  To  those  ladies,  however,  who  are  so 
slightly  vain  that  they  are  unwilling  to  give  up  the 
immoderate  use  of  tobacco  in  spite  of  the  risk  to 

[156] 


Influence  of  Smoking 

their  beauty  it  entails,  I  would  recommend  that 
they  take  plenty  of  food. 

It  is  a  well  established  fact  that  we  withstand 
all  kinds  of  intoxications  better  if  we  take  ample 
amounts  of  food,  especially  of  the  albuminous  va- 
variety,  since  these  very  materials  serve  for  the 
building  up  of  the  important  substances  which  pro- 
tect us  as  antidotes  or  antibodies, 

Unfortunately  the  taking  of  ample  amounts  of 
food  by  heavy  smokers  meets  with  the  difficulty 
that  their  appetite  is  often  poor,  and  that  the  to- 
bacco only  too  often  leads  to  undernutrition  by 
causing  disturbance  of  the  functions  of  the  stomach 
and  intestines.  This,  in  turn,  becomes  a  further 
cause  of  rapid  ageing  in  women. 


II 

THE     INFLUENCE     OF     INSUFFICIENT     NOURISHMENT 

AND    REDUCTION    CURES    ON    THE   FEMALE 

ORGANISM 

IT  is  a  matter  of  common  observation  that  women 

of  the  poorer  classes  age  rapidly,  as  a  rule.  It 
seems  natural  to  attribute  this  to  hard  work  and 
a  scanty  intake  of  food.  That  insufficient  nourish- 
ment is  the  main  factor,  however,  follows  from  the 
fact  that  the  same  condition  is  witnessed  among 
women  who  are  engaged  quietly  in  household  du- 
ties or  sew  the  whole  day  long. 

The  role  played  by  inadequate  nourishment  is 
most  strikingly  shown  in  that  an  aged  appearance 
may  be  produced  even  among  women  of  the  more 
well-to-do  classes  as  a  result  of  ill-advised  reduc- 
tion cures. 

The  outward  appearance  and  attractiveness  of 
the  human  body,  as  well  as  of  animals,  bears  a 
close  relationship  to  the  quantity  and  choice  of 
the  food  taken. 

When  animals  such  as  the  dog,  cat,  or  horse, 
are  well  fed,  their  coat  becomes  glossy  and  their 
general  appearance  more  handsome  and  more  full 
of  life.  In  the  well-filled,  firm  cheeks  of  healthy- 
looking,  well-nourished  young  girls  the  muscles  of 

[158] 


Insufficient  Food 

the  face  are  covered  with  a  layer  of  fatty  tissue 
which,  as  it  were,  pads  out  the  skin  and  renders 
it  smooth. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  food  intake  is  scanty, 
no  fatty  material,  nor  any  sufficient  amount  of  the 
starchy  foods  capable  in  part  of  replacing  it,  viz., 
rice  and  potatoes,  are  ingested,  and  as  a  result  the 
facial  muscles  lack  the  necessary  amount  of  fat. 

In  reduction  cures,  again,  unless  carried  out 
under  expert  supervision,  the  fat  over  the  facial 
muscles  disappears,  the  cheeks  become  hollow,  and 
there  develop  lines,  wrinkles,  and  creases — in  a 
word,  the  facial  appearance  of  advancing  age.  In 
cures  of  this  kind  one  must  take  care  that  the  fat 
is  absorbed  only  from  those  portions  of  the  body 
in  which  it  is  deposited  in  large  amounts,  as,  for 
example,  on  the  abdomen,  over  the  hips,  on  the 
back,  on  the  chin,  etc. 

It  is  dangerous  for  women  who  are  actually  by 
no  means  stout  and  have  merely  muscular  hips 
with  but  slight  fatty  deposit  to  go  through  fasting 
cures.  In  doing  so  they  are  cutting  into  their  own 
flesh,  and  frequently  they  pay  for  it  with  an  aged 
appearance. 

According  to  my  experience  with  numerous 
patients  in  Carlsbad,  reduction  cures  yield  the  best 
results  where  the  nourishment  taken  is  adequate 
and  foods  of  the  most  different  kinds  are  repre- 

[159] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

sented,  i.e.,  the  diet  is  a  highly  varied  one.  Fat- 
forming  articles  of  food,  such  as  sweets,  rice,  and 
potatoes,3  must,  of  course,  be  restricted,  but  the  diet 
must  not  be  reduced  to  the  point  of  inadequate 
nourishment;  indeed,  such  a  reduction  is  unneces- 
sary if  baths,  exercises,  long  walks  and  the  Ber- 
gonie  treatment  occupy  an  important  place  in  the 
therapeutic  regime. 

In  suitable  cases,  i.e.,  where  the  heart  is  in  good 
condition,  an  intelligently  conducted  course  of  thy- 
roid treatment  is  capable,  according  to  my  experi- 
ence extending  over  many  years,  of  yielding  very 
good  results.  Instead  of  an  aged  appearance  fol- 
lowing such  reduction  treatment,  one  of  rejuvena- 
tion may  rather  be  obtained — a  result  already 
familiar  from  experience  with  thyroid  treatment 
under  other  circumstances. 

Only  fresh  preparations  of  the  gland  must,  how- 
ever, be  used;  the  patients  must  remain  under 
continuous  medical  supervision,  and  the  diet  used 
must  be  sufficient  in  amount. 

Particular  care  should  be  taken  that  it  includes 
the  different  kinds  of  foods.  It  should  be  em- 
phasized that  even  if  enough  food  is  supplied, 
undernutrition  may  occur  if  the  food  is  not  suf- 


3  A  complete  list  of  these  foods  is  to  be  found  in  my  book  entitled : 
'Health  and  Longevity  Through  Rational  Diet,"  in  the  chapter  on 
'Foodstuffs  that  Produce  Obesity." 

[160] 


Insufficient  Food 

ficiently  varied.  The  organs  of  our  body  require 
for  the  prosecution  of  their  functions  not  only  al- 
bumins, starches,  and  fats,  but  also  certain  salts, 
the  nutrient  salts,  together  with  a  number  of  other 
substances,  such  as  the  so-called  "vitamines,"  the 
higher  fats  or  lipoids,  etc. 

Similarly,  the  thyroid  gland  requires  iodine,  the 
ovaries  iron,  the  joints  and  teeth  lime,  the  hair 
sulphur,  and  the  skin  silicates,  all  of  which  sub- 
stances play  an  important  part  in  the  chemical  con- 
stitution and  physiologic  activity  of  these  structures. 

Now,  if  food  is  taken  in  insufficient  amount,  or 
is  improperly  balanced,  or  contains  too  little  of 
the  substances  just  referred  to,  disturbance  of  the 
functions  of  these  structures  and  morbid  changes 
in  their  constituent  tissues  may  result. 

Insufficiency  of  nutriment  thus  exerts  a  highly 
prejudicial  effect  on  the  female  sexual  glands  and 
thereby  likewise  on  fecundity.  Undernutrition  is 
an  important  cause  of  sterility  in  the  human  sub- 
ject just  as  it  is  among  the  lower  animals. 

Hunters  know  that  in  periods  when  food  is 
scanty  game  is  likewise  lean,  and  breeders,  that 
when  plenty  of  food  is  supplied  the  fecundity  of 
their  animals  is  much  greater.  That  the  same  is 
true  in  the  human  race  was  distinctly  shown  by 
the  war.  As  a  result  of  the  extreme  distress  ex- 
isting in  many  wholly  barren  mountainous  districts, 

11  [  161  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

e.g.,  in  the  Erzgebirge,  the  women  ceased  to  men- 
struate. Cessation  of  so  important  a  function  as 
the  menstruation  already  points  to  the  presence  of 
considerable  disturbance  of  the  function  of  the  fe- 
male reproductive  organs  through  inadequate  nu- 
trition, and  since  such  disturbances  are  capable,  as 
I  showed  in  my  earlier  work  on  old  age,  of  bring- 
ing on  a  premature  ageing  of  the  body,  inadequacy 
of  nutriment  is  to  be  avoided  by  all  possible  means. 
Thus,  the  daily  diet  must  be  one  which  is  suf- 
ficient in  amount  as  well  as  properly  constituted. 


[162] 


Ill 

THE    INFLUENCE    OF    AN     IMPROPERLY     CONSTITUTED 
DIET    ON    THE   FEMALE   ORGANISM 

TF   one   enters   a   restaurant   where   a   number   of 

women  and  girls  are  eating,  one  readily  observes 
how  irrationally  many  of  them,  especially  the 
younger  ones,  make  their  selections  of  food.  Pas- 
try and  other  dainties  are  the  chief  articles  chosen, 
and  nitrogenous  foods  are  often  only  to  a  slight 
extent  or  not  at  all  represented. 

Yet  certain  absolutely  necessary  nutrient  salts, 
such  as  those  of  lime  and  phosphorus,  occur  in 
quantity  precisely  in  such  nitrogenous  articles  as 
eggs  and  cheese.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
therefore,  that  these  women  and  girls  suffer  from 
diseased  teeth.  We  are  well  aware,  from  a  number 
of  investigations,  among  which  those  of  Roese  de- 
serve special  mention,  that  the  teeth  deteriorate  on 
a  diet  lacking  in  lime. 

When  the  teeth  are  destroyed,  moreover,  absorp- 
tion of  the  jaw-bone  sets  in.  The  bone  becomes 
reduced  in  size,  the  face  sinks  in,  and  the  facial 
skin  becomes  loose  and  forms  senile  folds. 

Consequently  lime  must  be  represented  in  suf- 
ficient amount  in  the  daily  food  intake.  Besides 

[  163  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

eggs  and  cheese,  milk  likewise  contains  a  large  quan- 
tity of  lime,  as  do  also  many  fruits  and  vegetables. 

In  these,  including  the  green  vegetables  and 
many  kinds  of  fruit,  there  occurs  also  in  consider- 
able amounts  another  mineral  substance  that  is  of 
special  importance  in  the  female  organism,  though 
contained  in  largest  quantity  in  the  kind  of  sau- 
sage prepared  with  hog's  blood,  vi%.f  iron.  Where 
this  element  is  lacking  in  the  diet,  there  may  easily 
result  disturbances  of  blood  formation,  chlorosis 
and  anemia,  the  unfavorable  influence  of  which 
upon  the  condition  of  the  tissues  and  skin,  as  well 
as  upon  the  activity  of  the  sex  glands,  may  like- 
wise lead  to  premature  ageing. 

Potash  is  also  a  very  important  element,  as  has 
been  demonstrated  of  late  by  the  investigations  of 
Urbeanu.4  This  investigator  placed  animals  on  a 
diet  very  poor  in  potash,  and  found  that  after  a 
time  considerable  injury  to  the  nerves  and  muscles, 
as  well  as  to  the  outer  skin  covering,  resulted.  The 
animals  thus  dealt  with  lost  their  fur  and  grew 
decrepit. 

When  he  later  placed  them  on  a  mixed  diet  in 
which  potassium  compounds  were  abundantly  rep- 
resented the  fur  rapidly  grew  again. 

On  the  diet  lacking  in  potash  there  also  developed 

4  A.  Urbeanu:  "Die  Gefahren  einer  an  Kaliverbindungen  zu  armen 
Ernahrungsweise."    Wien-Berlin,  Urban  und  Schwarzenberg,  1916. 

[  164] 


Improper  Diet 

obesity,  which  disappeared  when  a  diet  rich  in  this 
ingredient  was  given. 

In  the  human  subject  impaired  nutrition  like- 
wise results  from  a  diet  lacking  in  potash,  and 
Urbeanu4  refers  in  this  connection  to  the  baldness 
and  obesity  produced  in  man,  and  correlates  them 
with  a  diet  deficient  in  potassium  compounds. 
These  conditions  in  themselves  belong  among  the 
earliest  manifestations  of  old  age.  Thus,  care  must 
be  taken  that  potassium  compounds  are  ingested 
daily  in  sufficient  amount. 

Such  compounds  occur  in  large  amount  in  pota- 
toes, milk,  and  meat,  as  also  in  cereals  and  in 
fruits,  of  which  a  number  are  very  rich  in  them, 
viz.,  plums,  apricots,  cherries,  grapes,  and  whortle- 
berries. It  should  be  noted  that,  according  to  the 
researches  of  Stoklasa,5  potassium  is  absolutely 
indispensable  for  the  tissue  interchanges  which 
occur  in  our  bodies. 

Likewise  indispensable  is  the  daily  ingestion  of 
a  sufficient  amount  of  the  "vitamines."  These  are 
nitrogenous,  crystalline  substances  which  are  abso- 
lutely needful  for  proper  activity  of  the  nerves 
and  muscles.  Where  these  substances  are  wholly 
lacking  in  the  diet,  there  result  serious  disorders, 
represented  in  their  highest  expression  by  beriberi, 

5  Stoklasa:  Hoppe-Seyler's    Zeitschr.    f.    physiol.    Chemie,    Hft.    1, 
62,  1909. 

[165] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

pellagra,  and  scurvy.  I  believe  I  was  the  first  to 
point  out  that  such  conditions  may  frequently  oc- 
cur among  us  as  a  result  of  a  poorly  balanced  diet, 
without  being  recognized.6 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  has  since  been  estab- 
lished as  a  result  of  the  war  diet  by  a  number  of 
investigators  who  have  had  many  patients  under 
observation.  Even  before  the  war,  I  had  occasion 
to  see  a  number  of  patients,  chiefly  women,  who, 
in  fear  of  stomach  trouble,  had  for  a  long  time 
been  living  on  a  poorly  balanced  diet  of  grits  and 
porridge,  white  bread,  pastry,  hulled  rice,  and 
boiled  milk.  They  exhibited  a  series  of  nervous, 
neurasthenic,  and  hysterical  symptoms,  together 
with  marked  lassitude  and  muscular  weakness. 

Most  of  these  patients  looked  old  on  account  of 
their  muddy  complexion  and  sunken  features.  Very 
striking,  moreover,  were  their  nervous  heart  dis- 
turbances, such  as  palpitation,  pulse  intermittences, 
and  attacks  of  heart  weakness  and  spasm.  In  all 
these  cases,  recovery  or  at  least  amelioration  of  the 
symptoms  was  procured  by  the  administration  of  a 
generous,  varied  diet  rich  in  vitamines. 

I  have  succeeded  likewise  in  cases  of  actual  heart 
disease  in  considerably  improving  the  condition,  even 
in  serious  cardiac  cases,  by  prescribing  a  diet  rich 
in  lime  and  vitamines,  together  with  ingestion  of 

6  Lorand :  Munchen.  med.  Wochenschr.,  No.  19,  1916. 

[166] 


Improper  Diet 

honey  or  sugar.  Articles  of  food  rich  in  vitamines 
include  eggs,  fresh  vegetables  and  fresh  fruits, 
potatoes,  fresh  milk,  and  also  bran. 

As  bran  is  hard  to  digest,  it  must  first  be  properly 
prepared,  as  may  be  satisfactorily  accomplished, 
e.g.,  by  Tinkler's  procedure. 

To  obviate  loss  of  the  high  vitamine  content  in 
cereals,  potatoes,  etc.,  these  have  to  be  cooked  with 
special  care.  Even  before  the  discovery  of  the 
vitamines  I  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  upon 
prolonged,  unrestrained  boiling  of  foods  much  of 
their  "living  energy"  and  highly  useful  substances 
are  destroyed. 

Very  fresh  foods  contain  the  largest  amount  of 
vitamines;  dried  and  preserved  foods,  on  the  other 
hand,  have  little  or  no  vitamine  content. 

Aside  from  a  sufficient  amount  of  nutrient  salts 
and  vitamines,  the  daily  diet  must  also  include  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  fluids,  i.e.,  of  water. 


[167] 


IV 

THE   INFLUENCE   OF   AN    INSUFFICIENT   INTAKE   OF 
FLUIDS   ON    THE   FEMALE   ORGANISM 

1V/IANY  women  are  in  the  habit  of  taking  too 
little  fluid.  Not  a  few  women  practically  never 
drink  any  liquid,  not  even  during  meals.  As  a 
rule,  there  is  present  in  these  women  a  condition 
of  weakness  of  the  thyroid  gland  which  we  have 
already  described  as  occurring  during,  before,  or 
after  the  climacteric  years.  In  overactivity  of  the 
thyroid  gland,  as  in  Graves's  disease,  or  in  diabetes 
mellitus,  thirst  is,  on  the  other  hand,  one  of  the  char- 
acteristic clinical  features.  There  are  some  women, 
however,  who  fail  to  drink  fluid  from  motives  of 
personal  vanity,  believing  that  fluid  would  make 
them  stout.  Now  it  is  certainly  not  true  that  drink- 
ing water  is  fattening,  otherwise  poor  people  would 
have  long  since  adopted  this  device;  it  is  true,  how- 
ever, that  if  a  person  eats  heartily  and  drinks  much 
fluid  at  the  same  time,  a  corresponding  amount  of 
chyme  results  and  is  absorbed  into  the  blood.  But 
if  the  quantity  of  fluid  taken  is  insufficient,  a  cor- 
respondingly smaller  amount  of  chyme  is  dissolved, 
and  digestive  disturbances  may  result. 

Inadequate   drinking   of   fluids    is    also    attended 
with  the  great  disadvantage  that  the  waste-products 

[168] 


Insufficient  Fluids 

set  free  in  the  processes  of  tissue  interchange,  such 
as  uric  acid,  cannot  be  brought  into  solution  and 
eliminated  from  the  body.  These  substances  then 
make  their  way  out  through  the  skin  surface,  mean- 
while giving  rise  to  a  troublesome  eruption  over  the 
face  and  a  muddy  complexion.  The  skin  of  women 
who  never  or  seldom  drink  water  is,  furthermore, 
very  dry  and  coarse,  and  as  a  result  of  its  dryness 
lines  and  wrinkles  are  readily  formed.  To  impart 
to  the  skin  a  smooth,  healthy  appearance,  the  body 
juices  which  supply  it  with  nutriment  must  be  abun- 
dantly present  in  its  tissues,  and  to  this  end  a  suf- 
ficient amount  of  fluid,  in  the  form  of  drinking 
water,  must  be  taken. 

According  to  my  observations  in  numerous  pati- 
ents with  gall-stones  in  Carlsbad,  the  very  great 
majority  of  them  drank  water  but  seldom,  previous 
to  the  onset  of  the  disease.  I  also  had  occasion  to 
note  that  most  of  these  women  had  for  years  been 
suffering  from  constipation.  This  leads,  in  turn, 
to  stasis  of  the  bile,  which  favors  an  inflammatory 
condition  of  the  biliary  passages  and  thus  leads  to 
gall-stone  disease.  The  constipation  is  thus  the 
underlying  cause  of  this  condition,  and  the  former, 
in  turn,  is  the  result  of  the  insufficient  intake  of 
fluids. 

I  had  occasion  to  observe  among  my  patients 
in  Carlsbad  that  the  women  who  had  never  or  but 

[169] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

seldom  drunk  water  before  the  treatment  were  gen- 
erally troubled  with  constipation.  This  fact  is  also 
readily  understood.  The  fecal  masses  in  the  intes- 
tine, in  order  that  they  may  continue  on  their  down- 
ward course,  require  a  sufficient  amount  of  fluid; 
otherwise  condensation  of  these  masses  and  diffi- 
culty at  stool  are  easily  induced.  Yet  there  is  every 
reason  for  women  to  avoid  all  influences  that  might 
lead  to  constipation.  From  the  very  fact  of  their 
different  anatomic  structure  as  compared  to  the  male 
subject  and  the  special  physiologic  functions  of  their 
reproductive  organs,  women  are  greatly  predisposed 
to  constipation. 

There  is  practically  no  sort  of  disturbance  in  the 
female  sexual  sphere  which  is  not  accompanied  by 
constipation. 

The  pride  of  personal  appearance  implanted  in 
women  with  remarkable  forethought  by  nature— 
rather  a  virtue  in  their  sex — should  forcibly  bring  to 
their  minds  the  importance  of  this  question.  Noth- 
ing is  capable  of  so  harming  a  good  complexion 
and  a  youthful  appearance  as  constipation  persist- 
ing for  a  number  of  days.  The  easiest  remedy  for 
this  condition,  on  the  other  hand,  is  to  drink  enough 
water,  and  in  particular  to  take  a  glass  of  fresh, 
cold  water  the  first  thing  in  the  morning.  Often 
this  simple  measure  gives  better  results  than  many 
a  purgative  drug,  over  which  it  possesses,  further- 

[170] 


Insufficient  Fluids 

more,  the  advantage  of  being  a  harmless  and  use- 
fully operating  remedy — which  certainly  cannot  be 
said  of  purgatives,  especially  when  taken  at  short 
intervals. 


[171] 


THE    INFLUENCE    OF    UNDULY    FREQUENT    USE   OF 
PURGATIVES   ON    THE   FEMALE   ORGANISM 

IN  Paris,  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,  it  was  the 
custom  of  the  "dames  du  monde,"  compelled  to 
give  careful  consideration  to  the  maintenance  of 
their  good  complexions,  to  have  a  midwife  come  to 
their  apartments  daily  and  administer  to  them  a 
"wholesome"  enema.  At  the  present  time  it  would 
certainly  be  held  rather  too  much  trouble  to  have 
the  clyster-woman  come  every  day,  and  besides  it 
would  be  unnecessary,  since  with  the  help  of  an 
ingeniously  devised  apparatus,  the  enterocleaner, 
any  woman,  sitting  in  a  warm  bath,  can  auto- 
matically wash  out  the  entire  bowel  and  free  it  of 
all  stagnant  fecal  masses.  When  carried  out  by  a 
practised  hand,  this  is  an  entirely  acceptable  pro- 
cedure, which,  furthermore,  is  unattended  with  the 
disadvantages  possessed  by  most  purgatives,  viz.f 
that  the  bowel  becomes  sluggish  thereafter.  I  have 
employed  this  procedure  in  several  of  my  lady 
patients  in  Carlsbad,  and  observed  very  good  re- 
sults from  it  in  every  instance.  It  is  thus  possible 
for  me  to  recommend  a  periodic  cleaning  out  of  the 
bowel  by  this  method  as  a  special  "intestinal  cure." 

[172] 


Abuse  of  Purgatives 

In  young  women  and  girls  the  procedure  is,  of 
course,  indicated  only  where  constipation  is  actually 
present,  but  in  older  women,  from  about  forty  years 
on,  it  would  seem  of  advantage,  especially  if  there 
is  a  tendency  to  constipation,  to  carry  out  the  en- 
terocure  regularly  every  week  or  two.  In  my  book 
on  "Old  Age  Deferred"  I  have  already  emphasized 
the  value  of  a  thorough  clearing  out  of  the  bowel 
at  least  once  weekly  in  the  prevention  of  premature 
ageing. 

In  general,  however,  one  can  get  along  without 
any  artificial  means  of  assistance  by  merely  taking 
care  to  secure  a  daily  bowel  movement  with  the  aid 
of  an  appropriate  diet  yielding  plenty  of  residue 
material. 

The  diet  in  general  plays  a  preeminent  part  in 
regulation  of  the  bowel  function.  A  large  allow- 
ance must  be  made  in  it  for  foods  yielding  much 
residue,  such  as  coarse  brown  bread,  graham  bread, 
green  vegetables  with  high  cellulose  content,  fruit 
and  preserves,  and  marmalade,  the  sugar  content 
of  which  also  exerts  a  favorable  influence.  As  al- 
ready stated,  fluids  must  likewise  be  taken  in  suf- 
ficient amount.  The  kinds  of  food  just  mentioned 
have  the  property,  acting  either  in  a  direct,  mechan- 
ical manner  through  their  coarse  consistency,  or 
through  the  fermentative  processes  set  up  by  them 
in  the  intestine,  of  producing  stimulation  of  the 

[  173  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

bowel  wall,  which  is  followed,  in  turn,  by  contrac- 
tions and  expulsion  of  the  intestinal  contents. 

There  are  some  women,  however,  to  whom  such 
a  diet  is  distasteful,  or  whose  stomachs,  as  in  many 
cases  of  nervousness,  will  not  tolerate  such  a  coarse 
diet,  or  again,  who  want  quick  results.  These  re- 
sort to  purgatives.  At  first  even  the  milder  agents, 
such  as  rhubarb,  magnesia,  tamarind,  etc.,  prove 
effective,  but  upon  continued  use  their  action  in 
many  instances  becomes  less  marked,  so  that  gradu- 
ally drugs  of  increasing  power  have  to  be  resorted  to. 

Even  the  enemas  which  many  women  adminis- 
ter to  themselves  lose  their  effect  after  a  time,  as 
the  intestinal  nerves  and  muscles  relax  in  their  ac- 
tivity, so  that,  just  as  in  the  case  of  a  refractory 
horse,  one  is  led  to  use  the  whip  with  increasing 
vigor,  so  in  these  cases  drastic  purgatives  have  fin- 
ally to  be  resorted  to.  Such  agents,  however,  con- 
tain substances  capable,  especially  if  taken  rather 
frequently,  of  exerting  harmful  effects  on  a  number 
of  different  organs,  including  the  stomach,  bowel, 
liver,  kidneys,  and  even  the  female  reproductive 
organs. 

Even  chronic  catarrh  of  the  stomach  and  intes- 
tine may  result.  Thereupon  the  general  state  of 
nutrition  of  the  body  suffers,  and  with  it  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  skin  surface,  in  which  connection 
it  should  be  pointed  out  that  frequently  only  a  por- 

[174] 


Abuse  of  Purgatives 

tion  of  the  intestinal  contents  is  expelled,  the  re- 
mainder giving  rise  to  processes  of  decomposition 
and  fermentation.  It  is  no  wonder,  then,  if  such 
ladies  exhibit  a  muddy,  dark  yellowish  complexion 
and  find  it  necessary  to  remedy  it  by  means  of  vari- 
ous toilet  preparations. 


[175] 


VI 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  COSMETICS 

TF  many  women  afflicted,  owing  to  illness  or  an 

unwholesome  mode  of  life,  with  a  dull,  sickly, 
yellowish-gray  complexion  form  the  hahit  of  intro- 
ducing a  life-like  red  tint  into  the  "gray  monotony" 
previously  existing,  we  can  readily  understand  the 
reason  for  this  custom,  which  is  not  inexcusable, 
moreover,  when  looked  at  from  the  human,  or  more 
strictly  speaking  the  women's,  standpoint. 

It  cannot  but  seem  incomprehensible  and  even 
absurd,  however,  when  young  women  or  even  girls, 
as  is  now  unfortunately  increasingly  the  case,  gloss 
over  the  healthy  and  even  ruddy  complexion  which 
they  naturally  enjoy  with  a  conspicuous  red  color 
and  set  off  their  lips  with  equally  unnatural  tints. 

If  this  is  done  with  a  view  to  simulating  an  even 
more  beautiful  and  youthful  appearance,  I  may  as- 
sert from  the  start  that  the  result  obtained  will  be 
exactly  the  opposite  of  the  intended  illusion. 

For  any  one  in  his  senses  and  with  normally 
directed  tastes  will  certainly  recognize  the  natural 
coloring  of  the  face,  and  will  at  once  suspect  any 
dissimulation,  by  which  he  will  not  be  deceived. 
Not  only  will  he  consider  that  which  is  unnatural 
unattractive,  but  he  will  likewise  involuntarily  come 

[176] 


Influence  of  Cosmetics 

to  the  conclusion  that  an  attractiveness  previously 
not  present  has  been  artificially  simulated;  whence 
persons  of  actual  beauty  are  often  really  taken  to 
be  homely. 

And  they  are  also  often  taken  to  be  older! 

For  the  observer  is  displeased  by  that  which  is 
strange  and  unnatural,  and  when  there  is  a  con- 
spicuous red  color  or  pallor  on  tfie  face  in  com- 
bination with  lips  that  glow  with  an  impossible  red 
hue,  man's  powers  of  age  appreciation  are  misled 
and  young  women  and  girls  are  considered  to  be 
older  than  they  really  are. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  ladies 
already  of  a  certain  age  may  often  succeed  by  a 
very  sparing  application  of  "rouge"  over  a  sallow, 
sickly-pale,  faded  face  in  reducing  their  apparent 
age  by  ten  years.  The  result  of  "painting"  in  the 
old  and  the  young  is  thus  that  the  old  frequently 
are  made  to  look  younger  but  the  young  invariably 
to  look  older. 

Rapid  ageing,  as  far  as  the  facial  appearance  is 
concerned,  will,  furthermore,  actually  set  in  on  ac- 
count of  the  severe  injury  done  to  it  by  "painting." 

Two  factors  should  be  emphasized  in  this  con- 
nection, viz.,  mechanical  and  chemical  influences,  as 
the  causes  of  injury  to  the  skin  of  the  face. 

Regarding  the  first  of  these  factors,  I  have 
pointed  out  in  the  latest  edition  of  my  work  on 
12  177 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

"Old  Age  Deferred,"  in  the  chapter  entitled  "A 
Few  Hints  on  Youthful  Appearance,"  that  in  the 
rubbing  of  pastes  and  other  preparations  over  the 
facial  skin,  lines,  wrinkles,  and  folds  are  produced 
in  a  mechanical  way,  Injury  due  to  chemical  causes 
may  result  from  the  fact  that  the  cosmetics  used 
often  contain  harmful  ingredients,  such  as  lead, 
and  in  Carlsbad  I  have  in  not  a  few  instances  had 
occasion  to  treat  cases  of  liver  and  intestinal  dis- 
orders to  which  the  lead  content  of  such  beautifying 
preparations  bore  a  causal  relationship.  It  should 
be  borne  in  mind,  further,  that  such  paints  and 
thick  pastes  block  up  the  pores  of  the  sweat  and 
sebaceous  glands,  upon  the  free  functioning  of 
which  the  appearance  of  the  skin  of  the  face  in 
large  measure  depends.  From  my  own  experience 
I  do  not  know  of  a  single  case  in  which  the  healthy 
appearance  of  the  complexion  was  not  impaired  by 
"painting,"  and  I  need  merely  refer  in  this  con- 
nection to  the  facial  aspect  of  women  who,  like 
actresses  and  others  similarly  engaged,  are  well- 
known  to  paint  themselves  up  almost  daily  and 
quite  often  are  compelled  to  pay  for  this  practice 
with  a  prematurely  aged  appearance. 

In  contending  against  that  which  is  natural,  man 
is  always  worsted;  nature  never  allows  one  to  tres- 
pass on  her  fields  with  impunity,  and  takes  bitter 
revenge  for  any  such  attempted  encroachment. 

[178] 


VII 

THE    INFLUENCE    OF    ANTICONCEPTIONAL    PRACTICES 

IN  the  first  part  of  this  book,  mention  was  made 

of  the  admirable  foresight  with  which  nature  pro- 
vides for  everything  that  is  connected  with  the 
preservation  of  the  human  race  and  its  procreation 
as  well  as  of  the  severe  punishment  she  metes 
upon  all  irregularities  and  abuses  committed  in  this 
respect. 

The  fact  was  also  shown,  that  from  such  abuses 
and  especially  from  abortive  and  anticonceptional 
practices  even  premature  death  may  result. 

I  would  like  to  add  here  that  early  and  rapid 
ageing  may  also  be  produced  through  anticoncep- 
tional practices.  Even  in  the  male  subject,  such 
preventive  habits  may  contribute  to  early  ageing, 
but  in  women  its  effects  are  far  more  deleterious. 
This  is  due  to  the  different  anatomical  arrangement 
and  structure  of  the  female  organs  as  well  as  their 
different  physiological  functions,  which  are  far  more 
complicated  than  in  the  male.  Indeed,  in  this  re- 
spect nature  has  placed  a  far  heavier  burden  upon 
woman  than  upon  man. 

Each  gland  in  our  body  is  intended  for  a  special 
purpose  and  for  a  certain  kind  of  activity.  This 

[179] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

general  rule  also  holds  good  as  regards  the  sexual 
glands.  To  insure  their  activity,  nature  has  im- 
planted a  kind  of  craving  into  the  breast  of  each 
creature,  which  demands  satisfaction.  There  are 
certain  persons  who,  through  a  special  kind  of  edu- 
cation in  preparation  for  a  certain  vocation,  can 
more  or  less  successfully  resist  this  craving,  but 
most  people  show  manifestations  of  nervous  dis- 
orders from  an  enforced  total  sexual  abstinence  of 
long  duration,  especially  women  who  have  arrived 
at  the  mature  years  of  maternity,  often  without 
any  knowledge  of  the  real  cause  of  these  disorders. 

I  have  for  this  reason  advocated  marriage  as 
a  preventive  of  such  disturbances  and  as  means  of 
lengthening  life. 

Still  more  serious,  however,  are  the  consequences 
for  those  who,  while  actually  sipping  of  the  nectar, 
resort  to  anticonceptional  measures  with  the  pur- 
pose of  thwarting  the  natural  consequences  of  the 
satisfaction  of  this  peremptory  craving.  Serious 
disorders  of  the  reproductive  organs  and  of  the 
nervous  system  result  from  such  practices.  Women 
are  exceedingly  sensitive  to  all  disturbances  that 
arise  at  this,  their  most  vulnerable  point,  the  organ 
of  sex. 

While  it  is  true,  as  the  great,  much  travelled 
Belgian  physician  and  nature  student  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  Van  Helmont,  emphasized,  that 

[180] 


Anticonceptional  Practices 

women  are  what  they  are  by  reason  of  their  sex 
organs,  it  must  be  considered  likewise  a  fact,  ac- 
cording to  my  conviction,  that  women  are  suscep- 
tible to  rapid  ageing  on  account  of  these  same  or- 
gans, or  at  least,  to  ageing  much  more  rapidly  than 
men. 

As  I  have  proved  in  my  various  publications, 
ageing  is  brought  about  by  changes  in  the  ductless 
glands,  among  which  the  thyroid  and  the  sex  glands 
play  the  most  important  physiologic  role.  Like  the 
thyroid,  the  ovaries  exert  an  influence  over  a  num- 
ber of  the  most  important  bodily  functions,  such  as 
blood  formation,  the  heart  action  (disturbances  of 
heart  action  during  the  period  of  the  menopause), 
and  in  particular,  general  metabolism.  Thus,  obe- 
sity often  sets  in  after  cessation  of  the  function  of 
the  ovaries  at  the  menopause  or  when  these  organs 
are  removed  by  operation. 

In  my  book,  "Building  Human  Intelligence,"  I 
show  at  length  how  the  brain,  and  likewise  the  gen- 
eral condition  of  the  nervous  system,  is  influenced 
by  these  glands.  The  effects  of  these  remarkable 
organs  extend  even  to  the  appearance  of  the  skin, 
and  the  experienced  eye  is  often  able  to  recognize 
the  presence  of  disorders  of  the  ovaries  and  uterus 
merely  from  the  dirty-yellow,  muddy  complexion 
of  the  women  suffering  from  them.  Similarly,  when 
these  organs  are  overactive,  the  condition  betrays 

[181] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

itself  in  a  bloated,  sallow,  aged,  and  worn  appear- 
ance of  the  face. 

In  view  of  the  above  mentioned  influence  of  these 
organs  on  a  number  of  important  bodily  functions, 
one  can  readily  understand  why  anticonceptional 
practices  may  likewise  cause  rapid  ageing  by  acting 
harmfully  on  the  organs  of  sex. 

The  harmful  effects  referred  to  are  two  in  num- 
ber: The  first  is  a  physical  excitation  and  irrita- 
tion of  the  sex  organs  which  is  not  followed  by 
satisfaction,  or  only  partly  so.  The  second  is  the 
mechanical  irritation  of  the  sexual  organs  by  the 
devices  employed  for  the  purpose  referred  to. 

The  first  of  these  harmful  influences  is  exerted 
when,  for  example,  a  covering  over  the  intromittent 
organ  is  used.  In  this  respect  there  can  of  course 
be  no  question  of  mechanical  irritation,  but  its  use 
prevents  complete  satisfaction  or  permits  of  it  only 
in  part.  Where  pessaries  are  used,  the  satisfac- 
tion obtained  may  be  greater — although  even  under 
these  conditions  it  is  not  complete — but  the  mechan- 
ical action  on  the  uterus  may  induce  severe  dis- 
orders of  the  latter,  or  at  least  pave  the  way  to 
their  occurrence.  The  use  of  sponges  likewise  in- 
terferes with  complete  satisfaction,  and  may  also 
lead  to  uterine  disturbances.  The  premature  inter- 
ruption of  the  sexual  act  is  not  in  itself  attended 
with  any  mechanical  local  injury,  but  does  produce, 

[182] 


Anticonceptional  Practices 

owing  to  the  complete  lack  of  satisfaction,  a  cor- 
respondingly pronounced  injury  to  the  nervous  sys- 
tem, and  is  often  the  cause  of  neurasthenia  and 
hysteria,  with  frequent  disturbances  of  heart  action. 

Either  of  the  above  practices  may  lead  more  or 
less  readily  to  neurasthenia  or  hysteria  merely 
through  the  impossibility  of  obtaining  complete 
satisfaction  as  well  as  through  irritation  of  the 
nervous  system. 

These,  in  turn,  result  in  a  very  marked  predispo- 
sition to  the  development  of  arteriosclerosis,  which 
easily  becomes  established  under  such  circumstances. 

Furthermore,  these  practices  bring  about  severe 
disorders  of  the  uterus  and  ovaries  and  likewise 
frequently  afford  the  initial  impulse  in  the  develop- 
ment of  cancer  of  the  uterus. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  too,  that  in  all  these 
procedures  there  occurs  a  marked  congestion  of  the 
uterus  and  ovaries  with  blood,  and  when  this  takes 
place  frequently,  the  result  is  an  inflammation  of 
these  organs  as  well  as  of  the  neighboring  tissues, 
with  consequent  endo-,  peri-,  and  parametritis,  and 
as  a  further  consequence,  the  production  of  ex- 
,udates. 

One  can  readily  understand  that  such  disorders 
as  these,  which  continue  for  years,  greatly  under- 
mine the  women  thus  afflicted  and  cause  them  to 
age  rapidly.  It  is  also  plain  that  the  diseased 

[183] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

ovaries  become  incapable  of  carrying  on  any  longer 
their  important  role  as  one  of  the  glandular  or- 
gans presiding  over  blood  formation,  the  metabolic 
processes,  and  other  vital  functions,  and  that  con- 
sequently rapid  ageing  takes  place  in  women  suf- 
fering from  inflammation  of  the  ovaries.  Such 
ageing  will  occur  even  more  quickly  if,  as  is  un- 
fortunately often  the  case,  surgical  removal  of  the 
diseased  uterus  and  ovaries  is  required  on  account 
of  these  disorders,  and  their  activity  in  consequence 
completely  ceases. 

I  would  also  like  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  pre- 
mature interruption  of  the  sexual  act,  although  it 
causes  in  itself  no  local  injury  to  the  organ  of  sex 
and  is  considered  harmless  by  many  women,  may 
nevertheless  cause  not  only  pronounced  nervous 
injury,  but  also,  by  reason  of  the  frequent  over- 
congestion  of  the  uterus,  favor  the  occurrence  of 
an  extremely  serious  disease,  viz.,  cancer.  Thus, 
Kisch7  noted  as  a  consequence  of  this  practice  the 
formation  of  cysts  at  the  uterine  cervix,  and  in 
these  cysts  rather  frequently  a  cancerous  degenera- 
tion. Furthermore,  Neubauer  and  Pigeolet  already 
emphasized  years  ago  that  the  onset  of  cancer  may 
be  favored  by  the  use  of  condoms.  I  would  like 
to  stress  also  the  fact  that  the  use  of  pessaries  may 
likewise  promote  tumor  development. 

7  Kisch:  Jahrschr.  f.  d.  Sexualwiss.,  1916. 

[184] 


Anticonceptional  Practices 

Very  often  local  injuries  to  the  uterine  tissues 
produced  under  these  circumstances  cannot  well  be 
obviated.  Yet  through  such  injuries  of  the  epi- 
thelium, especially  if  they  occur  rather  frequently 
or,  as  it  were,  habitually,  cancer  formation  is 
readily  promoted,  especially  when  added  unfavor- 
able influences,  such  as  heredity  (cancer  in  the  fam- 
ily), late  adult  life,  etc.,  are  present  as  contributory 
factors. 

It  is  known  that  cancer  in  general  readily  de- 
velops where  such  frequent  injuries  of  the  covering 
epithelium  are  taking  place,  as  is  illustrated  in  the 
cancer  of  the  stomach  following  a  coarse  diet  in 
peasants,  cancer  of  the  lips  in  pipe  smokers,  and 
cancer  of  the  mammary  gland  after  injury.  We 
know  also  that  the  uterus  is  a  preferred  site  for 
cancer,  and  the  repeated  irritations  and  injuries 
previously  mentioned  certainly  constitute  a  circum- 
stance favorable  to  the  frequent  development  of 
cancer  in  this  organ;  the  frequent  overfilling  with 
blood  and  inflammations  following  the  use  of  anti- 
conceptional  measures  may  likewise  contribute  to 
this  end. 

The  question  thus  naturally  arises  whether  it  is 
worth  while  to  expose  oneself  to  such  great  risks, 
to  acquire  such  serious  diseases,  to  endure  pain  and 
torment  for  years,  and  in  addition  to  age  rapidly, 
merely  in  order  to  avoid  being  blessed  with  a  fam- 

[185] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

ily.  If  material  cares  constitute  the  motive  for  so 
doing,  it  would  be  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  the 
expense  of  an  illness  of  years'  duration  may  easily 
outweigh  that  of  rearing  a  child,  not  to  mention 
the  prolonged  suffering  and  pain  and  the  prospect 
of  rapid  fading  and  ageing  which  must  be  taken 
into  account,  and  in  addition  the  risk  of  premature 
death. 

If,  however,  it  should  be  the  pride  of  personal 
appearance  which  deters  so  many  women  from  a 
possible  pregnancy,  then  I  would  offer  the  objec- 
tion that  very  often  the  charms  of  a  woman  are 
further  enhanced  after  the  birth  of  a  child,  as  is 
shown,  indeed,  in  the  pictures  of  the  great  Italian 
masters  and  in  those  of  Rubens. 

Often  faded  maidens  of  the  type  known  among 
the  Walloons  of  Belgium  as  "vierges  martyres," 
after  marriage  and  the  birth  of  a  child  literally 
blossom  out.  Married  life,  pregnancy,  and  lacta- 
tion— if  the  latter  is  not  continued  for  an  excessive 
time — act,  indeed,  like  a  kind  of  whip  upon  an 
inactive  thyroid  gland  and  inactive  ovaries,  which 
are  stimulated  to  greater  activity,  the  functions 
presided  over  by  them  being,  in  turn,  improved. 
Thus  in  many  instances  it  would  be  desirable  even 
from  the  standpoint  of  personal  beauty  for  o 
woman  to  have  a  child. 

As  for  the  relationship  of  material  cares  to  the 

[186] 


Anticonceptional  Practices 

rearing  of  a  family,  the  State  might  wisely  step 
in  and  assist,  especially  in  the  countries  recently 
deprived  of  so  many  of  their  sons  through  war.  In 
order  to  increase  the  number  of  births,  families  com- 
prising more  than  five  children,  unless  well-to-do, 
should  be  exempted  from  taxes;  for  each  child  born 
after  the  third  or  fourth,  moreover,  fathers  of  poor 
families  might  be  paid  a  contribution  or,  instead, 
such  children  reared  at  the  expense  of  the  State. 

There  remains  to  be  settled  the  question  as  to 
what  to  do  where  bodily  infirmities  of  the  women 
make  it  appear  that  pregnancy  and  labor  would  be 
dangerous  to  life.  I  have  already  suggested  that 
before  contracting  marriage  each  man  and  woman 
should  be  subjected  to  a  physical  and  mental  ex- 
amination in  order  to  ascertain  their  fitness  for 
matrimony  and  whether  they  harbor  any  transmis- 
sible disease. 

In  any  case  it  would  be  desirable  for  women  to 
call  in  their  family  physician  in  council  before  they 
enter  upon  any  such  practices  as  expose  their  health 
and  even  their  lives  to  great  risks.  This,  of  all 
places,  is  the  one  in  which  to  emphasize  the  fact 
that  the  physician  may  be  of  the  greatest  utility, 
not  so  much  in  treating  as  in  warding  off  disease. 
The  blame  for  the  latter  lies  not  with  the  phy- 
sician, but  the  patient.  Being  frequently  called  in 
too  late,  he  is  often  given  to  treat  an  organ  which 

[187] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

has  already  been  destroyed  by  disease.  He  is  sum- 
moned to  put  out  the  fire  when  the  house  has  al- 
ready burned  down.  And  yet  no  great  conflagra- 
tion breaks  out  suddenly.  At  first  it  is  only  a 
spark,  then  it  slowly  spreads,  but  by  the  time  the 
cry  of  "Fire"  is  uttered  a  part  of  the  house  has 
already  been  destroyed.  Similarly  a  disease  almost 
never  develops  all  at  once.  Often  it  extends  im- 
perceptibly and  insidiously,  and  by  the  time  it  is 
obvious  the  patient  is  often  irretrievably  lost,  or  at 
all  events  the  disease  is  no  longer  curable. 

If  I  may  be  allowed  to  express  a  conclusion 
drawn  from  personal  observations  extending  over 
many  years,  it  is  that  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
men  and  women  go  through  life  without  being 
aware  that  they  are  ill  and  often  severely  ill.  This 
is  a  matter  of  daily  observation  to  the  physicians 
of  insurance  companies.  And  from  this  there 
naturally  springs  the  thought  that  the  State  should 
carry  out  yearly  an  official  examination  of  every 
man,  woman  and  child — including  uranalysis — in 
order  to  ascertain  if  they  are  in  good  health.  What 
a  multitude  of  human  lives  could  thus  be  saved 
betimes,  and  likewise  what  immense  sums  of  money 
for  hospitals — and  no  less  for  insane  asylums! 

May  the  above  lines  be  dedicated  to  the  practical 
consummation  of  this  suggestion! 

[188] 


PART  III 
On  Rejuvenation 


INTRODUCTION 

TO   PAET   III 

IN  the  first  two  parts  of  this  book  I  showed  how 
early  decay  and  loss  of  life  can  be  brought  about 
by  reckless  habits.  In  the  following,  third  part,  I 
make  bold  to  present  the  means  for  remedying  the 
consequences  of  such  disastrous  habits,  and  to  de- 
scribe how  we  may  rejuvenate  not  only  those  who 
have  brought  premature  old  age  upon  themselves 
through  their  own  faults,  but  also  those  persons 
who,  by  reason  of  the  inexorable  laws  of  nature, 
suffer  from  the  infirmities  of  normal  old  age. 

Some  years  ago  I  showed  in  my  book,  "Old  Age 
Deferred,"  that  by  a  rational  mode  of  living  and 
the  use  of  glandular  extracts  rejuvenation  could 
be  brought  about,  and  herein  I  am  adding  my 
recent  experiences  and  observations  in  this  direc- 
tion, together  with  several  new  measures  of  great 
efficacy,  among  them  the  surgical  methods  of  the 
widely  known  physiologist,  Steinach,  which,  in  ani- 
mals especially,  have  given  such  sensational  results. 
I  must  apologize  to  my  readers  if,  perhaps,  I 
quote  too  often  my  earlier  works  entitled  "Old  Age 
Deferred"  and  "Building  Human  Intelligence."  I 
would  have  far  exceeded  the  intended  limits  of  this 

[191] 


Introduction 

book  had  I  introduced  in  it  again  the  many 
proofs  and  items  of  evidence  upon  which  my  find- 
ings and  assertions  are  based;  nothing  remains  for 
me,  therefore,  but  to  refer  the  reader  to  the  above 
mentioned  books. 

Those  who  have  read  my  other  works  will  readily 
believe  me  when  I  say  that  it  is  not  to  flatter 
human  vanity  that  I  have  undertaken  to  write 
these  lines.  I  can  fully  appreciate,  however,  that 
every  person  wants  to  appear  at  his  best,  a  favor- 
able appearance  being  a  great  advantage  in  this 
hard  struggle  for  existence. 

Having  been  the  earliest  writer  on  the  prophy- 
laxis and  treatment  of  old  age  as  a  preventable 
chronic  disease,  it  is  but  natural  that  I  should  de- 
sire here  to  present  the  newest  procedures  and 
proffer  my  opinion  concerning  those  best  adapted 
for  attaining  the  aim  referred  to,  as  well  as  for 
prolonging  the  working  capacity  and  bodily  and 
mental  vigor  of  aged  persons,  at  the  same  time 
showing  the  best  methods  by  which  these  can  be 
regained  if  they  have  been  lost. 

Aged  persons  are  very  often  potentially  able  to 
render  the  best  services  to  human  society  and  often 
constitute  its  most  useful  members.  These  men  or 
women  often  dispose  of  some  of  the  choicest  gifts 
of  the  intellect,  which  can  be  obtained  neither  by 
study,  industry,  nor  by  any  kind  of  endeavor,  but 

[192] 


Introduction 

solely  by  age,  i.e.,  an  extensive  experience.  They 
are  invaluable  as  teachers,  and  as  directors  and 
managers  of  institutions  for  the  public  good.  In 
the  administration  of  large  business  firms  such 
men  or  women  can  be  immensely  useful  by  plac- 
ing wholesome  restraint,  with  their  wisdom  gained 
by  experience,  upon  the  often  risky  and  hazardous 
undertakings  of  their  younger  associates. 

To  try  to  conserve  the  lives  of  persons  of  such 
value,  and  to  keep  them  in  good  working  condition 
as  long  as  possible,  is  really  worth  all  our  efforts! 


13 


[193] 


GENERAL     CONSIDERATIONS     ON     THE     POSSIBILITY     OF 
REJUVENATION 


thirty  years  ago  the  possibility  of  making 
a  younger  person  out  of  an  old  man  or  woman 
was  positively  proved.  Already  at  that  time  photo- 
graphs were  published  in  the  medical  journals  by 
Sir  Victor  Horsley,  George  Murray,  and  others, 
illustrating  aged  men  and  women  who,  after  treat- 
ment by  animal  extracts,  appeared  much  younger 
than  their  actual  age.  These  persons  were  suffering 
from  a  diseased  condition  of  the  thyroid  gland, 
myxedema,  and  upon  giving  them  extracts  of  the 
thyroid  glands  of  sheep,  men  and  women  of  sixty 
or  sixty-one  were  caused  to  appear  as  if  they  were 
fifty  and  in  some  cases  forty-five  or  even  less. 

Upon  reading  these  reports  and  studying  simi- 
lar cases  personally,  I  was  led  to  the  thought  that 
if  a  man  or  woman  suffering  from  disease  and  sixty 
years  old  can  be  made  to  look  much  younger  by 
means  of  a  certain  remedy,  then  other  men  or 
women,  who  are  not  suffering  from  the  same  dis- 
ease, or  not  to  the  same  extent,  might  likewise 
profit  from  such  treatment  and  be  made  to  look 
younger.  Having  tried  this  treatment,  first  upon 

[195] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

myself  and  then  on  patients,  I  found,  indeed,  that 
my  supposition  had  been  correct. 

The  results  of  my  observations  were  published 
in  my  book,  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  in  which  are 
described  cases  which,  upon  treatment  with  extracts 
from  the  glands  of  animals,  mainly  sheep  and  hogs, 
appear  younger  to  the  extent  of  ten,  fifteen  and 
sometimes  even  twenty  years.  This  book  was  based 
upon  a  communication  on  the  causes  of  old  age 
which  I  had  presented  before  the  Biological  Soci- 
ety of  Paris  six  years  before.  In  this  communi- 
cation1 I  showed  that  old  age  presents  all  or 
nearly  all  of  the  symptoms  of  a  degenerated  con- 
dition of  the  thyroid,  i.e.,  that  it  is  like  a  myxe- 
dematous  condition. 

The  different  noxious  agencies  to  which  we  ex- 
pose ourselves  willingly  or  against  our  will,  most 
of  them  mentioned  in  the  first  two  parts  of  this 
book,  are  also  known  to  be  very  deleterious  to  the 
different  ductless  glands  of  our  body,  viz.,  the 
thyroid,  the  sexual  glands,  etc.,  which  govern  all 
its  vital  functions.  \Vhen  these  glands  are  attacked 
and  caused  to  degenerate,  a  diseased  condition 
results,  the  symptoms  of  which  correspond  to  those 
of  old  age. 


1  Sur  les  causes  de  la  Senilite.     Comptes-Rendus  de  la  Societe  cle 
Biologic,  Dec.  4,  1904. 

[196] 


Possibility  of  Rejuvenation 

In  previous  experiments2  carried  out  with  the 
collaboration  of  Prof.  Minkowsky,  in  the  laboratory 
of  the  Augusta  Hospital  in  Cologne,  I  had  shown 
that  these  different  glands  form  a  kind  of  a  chain, 
so  that  removal  of  one  of  them,  e.g.,  the  pancreas, 
would  result  in  transformation  of  other  glands,  e.g., 
the  thyroid  gland.  Thus  it  will  be  readily  under- 
stood that  noxious  agencies  attacking  one  of  the 
glands,  such  as  the  thyroid  or  the  sexual  glands, 
will  also  react  upon  the  other  glands  and  lead  to 
their  degeneration. 

In  my  communication  to  the  Paris  Biological 
Society  on  the  causes  of  old  age,  I  showed  that  old 
age  is  due  to  the  degeneration  of  the  different  duct- 
less glands,  and  recommended  treatment  of  old  age 
with  extracts  from  the  ductless  glands  of  animals. 
That  such  treatment  is  really  possible  is  shown 
clearly  in  my  book,  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  in  which 
I  not  only  describe  the  good  results  obtained  by 
treatment  with  animal  extracts,  but  also  point  out 
the  fact  that  through  hygienic  procedures  and  by 
certain  forms  of  diet,  the  vitality  and  activity  of 
the  ductless  glands,  e.g.,  the  thyroid  and  sexual 
and  other  glands,  can  be  enhanced. 

Years  before  me  the  famous  French  savant, 
Brown-Sequard,  born  of  an  American  father  and 
French  mother  on  the  island  of  Mauritius,  and  for 


2  Communicated  to  the  Paris  Biological  Society,  April  25,  1909. 

[197] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

several  years  Professor  at  Harvard  University,  had 
shown  by  experiments  on  himself  that  a  kind  of 
rejuvenation,  in  the  sense  of  an  improvement  of 
certain  symptoms  of  old  age,  is  possible.  He  em- 
ployed extracts  made  from  the  crushed  testicles  of 
animals. 

A  few  years  ago  a  professor  of  physiology, 
Steinach,  producing  enforced  activity  or  irrita- 
tion of  the  sexual  glands  by  surgical  procedures, 
actually  proved  by  experiments  on  rats  and  on  man 
that  a  kind  of  rejuvenation  is  possible.  The  first 
symptoms  of  this  change  show  themselves  within 
a  few  weeks  after  the  operation. 

All  these  different  methods,  however,  are  based 
on  one  and  the  same  means  of  producing  rejuve- 
nation, the  one  I  described  before  the  Paris  Bio- 
logical Society  nearly  two  decades  ago. 

At  that  time  I  said  that  old  age  is  due  not  alone 
to  degeneration  of  the  thyroid  or  the  sexual  glands, 
but  to  that  of  all  the  glands.  It  may  start  from 
a  degenerated  condition  of  one  of  the  glands,  e.g., 
the  sexual  glands  or  the  thyroid,  but  afterwards, 
since  all  these  glanda  form  a  chain,  changes  in  one 
of  them  will  produce  similar  changes  in  the  other 
glands,  and  old  age,  with  all  its  symptoms,  will 
result. 

The  experiments  of  Steinach  clearly  prove  the 
correctness  of  my  theory  as  to  the  origin  of  old  age. 

[198] 


Possibility  of  Rejuvenation 

His  experiments  show  plainly  that  when  a  condi- 
tion of  overactivity  of  the  sexual  glands  is  pro- 
duced the  other  glands  are  influenced  also  and  that 
the  rejuvenation  he  procures  is  due,  not  only  to 
the  excitation  of  the  sexual  glands,  but  to  that  of 
all  the  other  glands. 

Indeed,  the  late  assistant  of  Prof.  Steinach,  Dr. 
Schleidt,  examined  microscopically  not  only  the 
testicles  of  the  old  rats  that  had  been  made  over 
into  young  rats,  but  also  the  thyroid  gland  and 
another  endocrin  gland  in  the  brain — the  hypo- 
physis— and  he  found  these  glands  in  the  previously 
old  rats  in  quite  a  youthful  and  perfectly  normal 
condition.  Thus,  we  are  certainly  justified  in  con- 
cluding that  rejuvenation  is  the  result  of  an  im- 
proved condition,  not  only  of  one,  but  of  all  the 
endocrin  glands. 

All  that  one  has  to  do  to  rejuvenate  a  person, 
is,  consequently,  to  overcome  the  aged  and  degen- 
erated condition  of  the  endocrin  glands.  This  can 
be  done  in  one  of  two  different  ways:  (1)  By  a 
surgical  procedure,  as  shown  by  Prof.  Steinach. 
This,  however,  has  the  disadvantage  that,  while 
not  efficacious  in  every  case,  it  exposes  sometimes, 
in  addition,  to  deleterious  consequences.  (2)  By 
internal  methods,  i.e.,  by  ingestion  of  the  extracts 
of  different  glands. 

Aside  from  these  procedures,  we  can  obtain  still 

[199] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

better  results,  according  to  my  experiences  and 
observations  in  the  last  ten  months,  by  employing 
the  ultraviolet  rays  of  natural  or  artificial  sunlight 
(quartz  light),  which  act  as  activators  and  power- 
ful stimulants  of  the  endocrin  glands,  especially  if 
these  glands  are  taken  by  mouth  at  the  same  time. 
Radium  baths  and  certain  kinds  of  mud  baths  of 
high  radium  content  are  also  capable  of  bringing 
about  rejuvenation.  In  addition  there  are  avail- 
able certain  hygienic  procedures,  such  as  abundant 
perspiration  and  purging,  as  I  show  in  my  book, 
"Old  Age  Deferred." 


[200] 


II 


DY  cutting  through  the  excretory  ducts  of  the 
sexual  glands  at  a  certain  point  in  a  number 
of  old  marasmic  rats  of  the  age  of  twenty-eight  to 
thirty  months — an  age  corresponding  in  rat  life  to 
the  eighties  or  more  in  human  subjects — Prof. 
Steinach3  was  able  to  observe  several  weeks  after- 
wards an  amazing  change  for  the  better  in  their 
condition.  Indeed,  the  old  rats  thus  dealt  with 
had  become  transformed  into  young  rats. 

Before  the  operation,  rendered  listless  by  their 
great  age,  these  old  rats  would  sit  lazily  for  hours 
in  their  cage,  scarcely  making  any  movement,  and 
showing  no  signs  of  interest  whatever  in  their  sur- 
roundings. Even  a  piece  of  fat  bacon  passed  into 
their  cage  on  a  stick,  a  morsel  most  highly  attrac- 
tive to  rats,  failed  to  induce  them  to  make  any 
effort  to  attain  it  by  creeping  up  the  stick. 

After  the  operation  a  radical  change  from  their 
apathetic  behavior  was  seen  within  a  few  weeks. 
They  became  extremely  lively  in  their  movements, 


3  Steinach:  Verjungung    durch    experimentelle   Neubelebung   der 
alternden  Pubertatsdrvise,  Berlin,  1920. 


[201] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

and  their  interest  was  evoked  by  any  object  passed 
into  their  cage,  which  they  sniffed  at  at  once  and 
examined  with  the  greatest  curiosity. 

When  two  male  rats  are  brought  together  in  a 
cage,  a  bitter  fight  invariably  follows.  Before  the 
operation,  an  old  rat  placed  in  the  cage  of  a  young 
rat  would  invariably  show  the  white  feather  at  once, 
making  every  attempt  to  get  away  and  showing  no 
fighting  spirit.  After  the  operation,  however,  lie 
would  take  up  the  challenge  at  once  and  prove 
himself  a  valiant  contender. 

Even  in  their  external  appearance  the  operated 
rats  clearly  showed  a  remarkable  rejuvenation.  Be- 
fore the  operation  they  seemed  bent  with  age, 
with  sagging  heads  and  very  thin  bodies,  merely 
skin  and  bones.  Their  furry  coat  showed  many 
large  bald  patches.  As  Steinach  demonstrated  with 
his  photographs,  however,  these  same  old  rats  under- 
went a  miraculous  change  in  their  external  ap- 
pearance some  weeks  after  the  operation.  New 
hair  grew  all  over  their  bodies,  in  fact  they  now 
exhibited  a  rich,  glossy  and  complete  coat,  the  bald 
patches  having  entirely  disappeared.  At  the  same 
time  they  were  as  agile  and  erect  as  young  rats 
in  the  prime  of  life,  with  well  rounded  forms. 

Their  behavior  in  the  sexual  sphere  after  the 
operation  was  equally  remarkable,  a  most  striking 
change  taking  place  in  this  respect  in  these  old 

[202  ] 


Surgical  Methods 

rats.  Before  the  operation  all  sexual  proclivities 
seemed  to  have  been  completely  lost.  A  young 
female  rat  placed  in  their  cage  evoked  no  interest 
whatever.  If  some  few  of  them  did  show  a  trace 
of  sexual  desire,  it  was  of  no  avail,  for  they  were 
quite  unable  to  carry  out  the  sexual  act. 

After  the  operation,  however,  these  previously 
impotent  old  rats  turned  into  sexually  active  young 
males.  Young  female  rats  put  into  their  cage  sev- 
eral weeks  after  the  operation  proved  highly  at- 
tractive, the  transformed  old  rats  giving  every 
evidence  of  a  surprising  sexual  capacity  and  in- 
satiable desire,  their  activity  in  this  direction  being 
such  as  would  seem  impossible,  or  at  any  rate 
abnormal,  even  in  vigorous  young  rats! 

As  Steinach  describes  it,  there  occurred  a  con- 
dition of  "sexual  paroxysm"  in  his  operated  rats. 
These,  in  their  passion,  made  no  distinction  as  to 
whether  the  females  pursued  by  them  were  or  were 
not  in  the  mating  period,  a  rather  rare  occurrence 
among  rats. 

The  young  generated  by  those  of  the  old  rats 
which  had  been  operated  on  one  side  only  were 
normal  and  vigorous,  so  that  Steinach  was  able  to 
use  them  successfully  for  breeding  purposes. 

Not  only  did  these  old  rats  again  become  young, 
but  their  normal  span  of  life  was  prolonged  by 
the  operation.  Ordinarily  rats  live,  according  to 

[203] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Steinach,  only  twenty-eight  or  at  most  thirty 
months.  These  rejuvenated  rats,  however,  lived 
about  eight  months  longer.  For  human  beings  this 
would  mean  that  life  could  be  prolonged  by  about 
25  per  cent.  Thus,  it  would  seem  possible  in  this 
way,  if  one  were  permitted  to  apply  these  findings 
to  the  human  race,  to  add  about  twenty  years  to 
the  life  of  a  man  already  about  eighty  years  old. 

It  may  now  be  of  interest  to  take  up  the  ques- 
tion as  to  how  this  remarkable  rejuvenation  and 
prolongation  of  the  average  life  period  of  rats  was 
produced  in  Steinach's  experiments.  Upon  cutting 
through  the  ducts  of  the  seminal  glands  at  a  cer- 
tain level,  care  being  taken  not  to  injure  the  ves- 
sels which  supply  the  testicles  with  blood,  degenera- 
tion of  the  seminal  glands  follows. 

As  is  well  known,  there  are  two  main  parts  in 
the  testicles:  (1)  That  serving  the  purposes  of  ex- 
ternal secretion,  and  which  relates  to  the  seminifer- 
ous tubules,  and  (2)  a  far  more  important  part, 
that  serving  the  purposes  of  internal  secretion.  The 
latter  contains  the  so-called  cells  of  Leydig.  This 
portion  governs  some  of  the  most  important  func- 
tions of  the  body,  and  also  powerfully  influences 
the  whole  nervous  system  and  the  qualities  of  the 
mind  and  soul. 

Even  the  external  appearance  of  the  body  and 
the  condition  of  the  skin  and  all  tissues  are 

[204] 


Surgical  Methods 

dependent  upon  these  remarkable  glandular  struc- 
tures, as  also  upon  the  thyroid. 

Upon  cutting  through  the  excretory  ducts  of  the 
seminal  glands,  these  glands  and  the  seminal  cells 
undergo  degeneration.  But  in  conformity  with  the 
law  concerning  the  intimate  connections  between 
the  different  endocrin  glands  above  mentioned,  the 
portion  of  the  testicles  which  serves  the  purposes 
of  internal  secretion  thereupon  becomes  hyper- 
trophied,  with  the  formation  of  new  cells  in  great 
numbers,  as  Steinach  proves  by  microscopical 
sections. 

It  is  but  natural  that  in  consequence  of  this  the 
functions  and  tissues  governed  by  these  cells  should 
improve.  Thus,  new  hair  grows  on  the  previously 
bald  areas  and  the  previously  skinny  limbs  become 
rounder,  the  muscles  having  undergone  develop- 
ment, especially  since  these  animals,  quite  bereft 
of  appetite  in  their  previous  aged  condition,  be- 
come voracious  again.  Of  course,  even  their  reno- 
vated condition  did  not  save  these  animals  from 
ultimately  paying  their  tribute  to  the  eternal  laws 
of  nature.  Although,  thanks  to  the  genius  of 
Steinach,  a  considerable  prolongation  of  their  lives 
had  occurred  they  eventually  died,  without  any 
apparent  disease,  Steinach  attributing  their  death 
to  changes  in  the  condition  of  the  brain. 

When  the  organs  of  these  animals  were  examined 

[205] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

after  death  the  different  tissues  were  found,  strange 
to  state,  in  the  same  condition  as  might  have 
been  expected  in  young  animals.  As  Steinach 
showed  in  his  illustrations,  both  the  macroscopic 
and  microscopic  aspects  of  the  genital  apparatus, 
with  all  its  internal  and  external  organs,  exhibited 
the  same  condition  as  might  be  found  in  healthy 
and  vigorous  young  rats. 

This  suggests  the  case  of  the  famous  English 
peasant,  Thomas  Parr,  who,  having  died  at  an 
age  exceeding  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  likewise 
showed  at  the  autopsy — performed  by  the  great 
Dr.  Harvey,  to  whom  we  owe  our  earliest  definite 
knowledge  of  the  circulation  of  the  blood — a  per- 
fect condition  of  his  tissues  and  organs,  including 
the  testicles.  The  fact  that  he  was  condemned  when 
over  one  hundred  years  of  age  for  unseemly  con- 
duct with  a  young  girl  of  eighteen  years  would 
appear  to  substantiate  the  statements  of  Harvey. 

With  reference  to  the  ingenious  experiments  of 
Steinach,  causing  retention  of  the  seminal  fluid,  I 
should  like  here  to  mention  the  fact  that  already 
about  1500  years  ago  the  great  Hindu  physician, 
Dhanwantarid,  recommended,  in  his  book  "Sush- 
rut" — written  in  the  Sanskrit  language — retention 
of  the  semen  through  an  abstinent  life  as  a  means 
of  enhancing  the  strength  of  the  body  and  mind. 
Indeed,  such  a  belief  is  even  now  popular  among 

[206] 


Surgical  Methods 

the  Hindu  races  in  India,  and  is  based,  moreover, 
on  the  precepts  of  their  religion,  for  it  is  also  con- 
tained in  one  of  the  volumes  of  the  "Sacred  Books 
of  the  East,"  edited  by  the  great  orientalist,  Prof. 
Max  Muller,  of  the  University  of  Oxford. 

Prof.  Steinach,  in  the  course  of  his  experiments, 
obtained  striking  results  in  female  rats,  similar  to 
those  witnessed  in  males.  He  transplanted  the 
ovaries  of  young,  vigorous  rats  into  old,  decrepit 
females,  and  the  same  remarkable  effects  appeared 
as  have  already  been  described.  Here  again,  the 
most  astounding  changes  were  produced  in  the 
sexual  sphere.  Before  this  transformation,  pro- 
duced by  the  operation,  the  old  female  rats  were, 
of  course,  of  no  value  for  breeding  purposes. 

When  an  aged  (28  months)  female  rat  was 
placed  in  the  cage  of  a  young  male,  he  at  once 
approached,  but  having  satisfied  his  curiosity  by 
inspecting  her,  he  simply  turned  about  and  took 
no  further  notice  of  her.  How  different,  however, 
was  his  attitude  when  the  same  old  female  was 
placed  in  his  cage  after  her  rejuvenation!  He 
at  once  began  to  pay  ardent  court  to  her,  and  re- 
markable to  relate,  the  old  rat  became  pregnant 
a  few  weeks  later.  The  previously  atrophied  and 
scarcely  recognizable  mammary  organs  became  red 
and  turgescent,  and  the  pregnant  animal  built  her 
nest.  After  a  pregnancy  of  twenty-three  days' 

[207] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

duration,  five,  and  in  another  instance,  nine,  infant 
rats  were  born! 

Fancy  a  grandmother  of  eighty  years  having  chil- 
dren again,  and  splendid,  vigorous  children  at  that! 
Indeed,  the  old  rat,  after  being  sterile  for  ten 
months  in  consequence  of  advanced  age,  had  given 
rise  to  offspring  that  were,  as  Steinach  puts  it, 
"ungewohnlich  kraftig"  (unusually  robust),  and  at 
the  same  time  the  old  mother  had  an  abundance  of 
milk  and  fed  her  offspring  in  the  normal  manner. 
The  condition  of  these  young  from  a  very  old 
mother  six  weeks  later  is  characterized  by  Steinach 
as  "besonders  gross  und  kraftig  gewachsen," 
(grown  exceedingly  large  and  robust),  and  he 
later  used  them  for  breeding  purposes. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  at  the  autopsy  of 
these  rejuvenated  old  rats  the  sexual  organs,  in- 
cluding the  ovaries,  mammary  glands,  and  uterus, 
were  found  in  the  same  condition  as  would  have 
been  expected  in  young  rats. 

Thus,  upon  transplantation  of  the  ovaries  of 
young  rats  into  old  ones,  the  new  ovaries  made  up 
for  the  lost  functions  of  the  former  ovaries  which 
had  undergone  degeneration  by  reason  of  advanced 
age.  Along  with  this  came  the  remarkable  trans- 
formation into  a  young  animal,  with  all  the  attri- 
butes of  a  young  female,  again  proving  the  truth 
of  what  the  great  Belgian  physician,  Jean  Batiste 

[208  ] 


Surgical  Methods 

Helmont,  said  several  centuries  ago,  viz.,  that  a 
woman  is  made  what  she  is  by  her  ovaries. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Steinach,  Lichtenstern  per- 
formed the  same  operation  upon  several  human 
male  subjects  suffering  from  disease  of  the  testicles 
or  of  the  prostatic  gland,  These  men  likewise 
showed  the  symptoms  of  advanced  old  age,  although 
one  of  them  was  but  forty-four  years  old.  Even 
young  persons  may  show  symptoms  of  old  age  in 
consequence  of  disease  of  the  sexual  glands.  These 
men  had  no  sexual  proclivities  whatsoever,  and  were 
completely  impotent. 

After  section  of  the  seminal  ducts,  marked  im- 
provement occurred  within  a  few  months.  The 
wrinkles  in  the  face  of  one  of  them,  a  man  of 
forty-four  years  showing  premature  old  age  before 
the  operation,  disappeared,  and  in  each  of  the  three 
cases  described  in  Steinach's  monograph,  muscular 
strength  was  considerably  increased.  These  per- 
sons felt  much  younger  than  their  age;  their 
fatigued  state  disappeared,  Their  symptoms  of 
arteriosclerosis,  dizziness,  shortness  of  breath,  tre- 
mor, etc.,  also  disappeared  or  were  improved.  Their 
impotence  was  also  improved,  though  not  to  the 
extent  observed  in  the  rats,  as  could  naturally  not 
have  been  expected.  The  sexual  desire  reappeared 
and  was  very  pronounced.  Potency  was  restored 
to  the  normal  of  their  younger  years  in  at  least 

14  [  209  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

two  of  the  three  cases,  and  in  the  third,  a  man  of 
seventy-two  years  with  pronounced  arteriosclerosis, 
sexual  desire  reappeared  after  a  long  interval,  and 
natural  satisfaction  of  it  was  possible. 

As  in  the  rats,  too,  the  mental  condition  was 
much  improved,  especially  the  memory,  thus  prov- 
ing the  correctness  of  my  observations  on  the  in- 
fluence of  the  sexual  glands  upon  mentality  and 
memory,  discussed  in  my  book  on  "Building  Hu- 
man Intelligence."  It  is  interesting  to  note,  also, 
that  in  each  of  these  three  men  the  hair  grew  more 
abundantly  after  the  operation. 

There  are,  however,  certain  drawbacks  to  the  sur- 
gical treatment  of  old  age.  At  the  last  Congress 
of  the  German  Naturalists  and  Physicians  in  Nau- 
heim,  in  September,  1920,  the  surgeons  Prof.  Payr, 
of  Leipzig,  and  Prof.  Kummel,  of  Hamburg,  ut- 
tered a  serious  warning  against  the  performance 
of  these  operations,  on  account  of  the  severe  dan- 
gers that  might  follow.  As  Payr  maintains,  seri- 
ous shock  might  result  from  cutting  through  the 
seminal  ducts,  and  Kummel  even  cited  cases  of 
death  that  had  followed  such  an  operation. 

Similarly,  the  surgical  methods  of  Voronoff,  in- 
tended to  produce  rejuvenation  through  trans- 
plantation of  the  thyroid,  are  not  free  of  danger. 
At  the  same  time,  insofar  as  I  am  aware,  this 
method  cannot  boast  of  the  wonderful  results  ob- 

[210] 


Surgical  Methods 

tained  by  the  ingenious  Steinach.  Besides,  it  is 
an  antiquated  procedure,  and  one  long  since  given 
up,  to  transplant  the  thyroid  or  the  ovaries  in 
order  to  secure  their  secretion  into  the  body  when 
the  actual  organs  of  the  bearer  have  degenerated. 

It  has  been  proved  by  strict  and  convincing 
scientific  methods  and  by  observations  kept  up  for 
years  that  through  ingestion  of  the  extracts  of  the 
corresponding  glands  from  healthy,  vigorous  ani- 
mals results  similar  to  those  of  operative  transplan- 
tation can  be  obtained. 

Accordingly,  I  believe  it  more  rational  to  give 
preference,  at  least  in  the  treatment  of  human  be- 
ings, to  the  ingestion  of  fresh  animal  extracts  by 
the  mouth.  Sometimes  it  may  take  a  few  weeks 
longer,  at  least  in  human  subjects,  for  rejuvenation 
to  take  place,  but  at  all  events  this  method  is  a 
far  safer  one  than  the  operative  procedure. 


[211] 


Ill 


REJUVENATION    BY    THE    INGESTION    OF    ANIMAL, 
GLAND    PREPARATIONS 


/^\LD  age  being  caused  by  degeneration  of  the 
endocrin  glands,  especially  the  thyroid  and 
sexual  glands,  all  that  is  necessary  to  secure  re- 
juvenation is  to  improve  the  condition  of  these 
glands.  The  best  and  easiest  way  to  do  this  is 
to  administer  by  the  mouth  extracts  of  these 
glands,  after  their  extirpation  from  healthy  ani- 
mals. As  long  as  thirty  or  more  years  ago  it  was 
proved  that  when  one  of  these  glands,  such  as  the 
thyroid,  is  degenerated,  all  of  the  normal  functions 
of  this  gland  can  be  reproduced  by  ingesting  ex- 
tracts of  the  thyroid  of  sheep.  The  diseased  gland 
is  thus  successfully  replaced  by  the  ingestion  of 
the  animal  gland, 

To  bring  about  rejuvenation  I  have  given  to 
old  men  and  women,  and  also  to  persons  suffering 
from  premature  old  age,  extracts  of  the  thyroid  and 
sexual  glands  of  animals.  As  already  mentioned, 
marked  success  attended  the  procedure.  The  per- 
sons treated  looked  considerably  younger  after  it, 
to  the  extent  of  ten  or  fifteen  years  and  sometimes 
even  more.  The  wrinkles  in  the  face  already  be- 

[212] 


Animal  Gland  Preparations 

gan  to  disappear  four  or  five  weeks  after  the  treat- 
ment, and  at  the  same  time,  previously  corpulent 
persons,  losing  their  excess  of  fat,  were  made  to 
look  slender,  thus  imparting  a  youthful  impression. 

That  thyroid  treatment  causes  a  considerable 
loss  of  fat  is  a  well  known  fact.  At  the  same 
time,  the  different  functions  previously  impaired 
owing  to  old  age  became  more  normal  again.  The 
marked  muscular  lassitude  disappeared,  and  the 
movements  became  more  agile.  The  pulse,  previ- 
ously slow,  as  it  often  is  in  aged  persons,  became 
more  rapid.  Indeed,  for  cases  of  very  slow  pulse, 
or  bradycardia,  a  condition  frequently  met  with  in 
the  more  advanced  cases  of  arteriosclerosis,  I  have 
recently  seen  very  good  results  from  the  adminis- 
tration of  thyroid  extracts. 

The  circulation  of  the  blood  being  improved  by 
the  gland  treatment,  aged  persons  previously  com- 
plaining of  cold  feet  and  hands  obtained  improve- 
ment in  this  respect. 

The  kidneys,  previously  sluggish,  also  showed  an 
amelioration  of  their  functions,  the  output  of  urine 
being  augmented,  and  the  uric  acid,  sodium  chlor- 
ide, and  other  substances,  previously  retained  in 
the  body,  better  eliminated.  The  intestinal  func- 
tions were  likewise  improved,  and  bowel  action 
became  more  regular. 

In  the  books  mentioned  above,  I  have  given  the 

[213] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

full  details  as  to  the  results  of  such  treatment. 
Since  their  publication  some  years  ago  I  have  ob- 
tained rejuvenation  in  many  additional  cases,  and 
according  to  my  observations  the  results  are  com- 
parable to  those  which  Steinach  produced  in  men 
through  his  operative  procedure.  Thus,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  operative  procedure,  the  condition  of 
the  hair  was  much  improved  by  the  treatment. 
But  already  thirty  years  ago,  in  the  photographs 
that  were  published  illustrating  the  cases  success- 
fully treated  by  thyroid  gland,  previously  bald 
persons  were  shown  with  a  new  growth  of  hair 
on  their  heads. 

There  was  likewise  marked  improvement  in  the 
sexual  functions.  While  not  equivalent  to  those 
obtained  in  Steinach's  old  rats,  the  results  were  not 
far  behind  those  brought  about  by  his  procedure 
in  male  human  subjects.  Indeed,  it  is  not  feasible 
to  draw  inferences  from  rats  to  men,  the  differ- 
ence between  man  and  these  rodents  being  far  too 
great.  Such  an  attempt  would  be  just  as  ill- 
advised  as  trying  to  make  a  comparison  between 
the  sexual  desires  of  an  overworked  Wall  Street 
business  man  and  those  of  members  of  the  native 
tribes  of  Central  Africa  or  Australia,  living  in  the 
full  liberty  of  nature. 

In  general,  there  exists  a  certain  antagonism 
between  an  overworked  brain  and  sexual  activity. 

[214] 


Animal  Gland  Preparations 

There  can  also  be  no  doubt  but  that  impotency  is 
in  very  many  cases  merely  of  psychic  origin,  com- 
plete integrity  of  the  sexual  organs  existing  at  the 
time.  Very  often  this  condition  is  only  a  fictitious 
one,  and  many  men  are  impotent  merely  because 
they  think  they  are.  And  so  it  is  also  easy  to 
understand  that  in  many  cases  the  rational  treat- 
ment of  a  neurasthenic  or  hysterical  condition  can 
bring  back  sexual  desire,  and  even  potency  that 
had  been  lost  some  time  before. 

At  all  events,  whether  it  be  through  the  favor- 
able influence  on  the  mind  and  mental  condition 
in  general  or  through  a  direct  influence  upon  the 
sexual  glands  and  the  thyroid,  which,  as  is  well 
known,  are  functionally  cooperative,  I  was  able 
to  note  both  in  men  and  women  a  marked  effect 
upon  the  sexual  activity  after  the  combined  treat- 
ment with  extracts  of  the  thyroid  and  sexual  glands. 
In  men  the  sexual  desire,  sometimes  lacking  for  a 
long  period,  reappeared  in  most  cases,  and  potency 
improved. 

In  women  the  results  obtained  were  even  bet- 
ter than  in  men.  I  frequently  learned  from  the 
husbands  of  women  who  had  shown  evidences  of 
sexual  frigidity  or  of  marked  diminution  of  the 
normal  sexual  desire  that  this  condition  had  much 
improved  after  their  wives  had  been  taking  ovarian 
extracts  for  a  certain  length  of  time. 

[  215  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

That  such  treatment  must  exert  a  very  distinct 
influence  upon  sexual  activity  in  women  is  best 
shown  by  the  fact  that  in  girls  and  women  who 
had  ceased  to  menstruate  for  months  on  account  of 
certain  diseased  conditions  the  menses  reappeared 
after  ovarian  treatment,  especially  where  thyroid 
gland  was  simultaneously  taken. 

I  am  inclined  to  believe,  from  observations  I 
have  made,  that  such  treatment,  especially  if  com- 
bined with  the  administration  of  iron,  arsenic,  and 
mud  baths,  constitutes  the  best  means  for  dealing 
with  sterility  in  women.  I  must  here  add  that 
the  rejuvenation  treatment  has,  in  general,  given 
me  better  results  in  women  than  in  men.  The 
reason  for  this  is  that  the  ovarian  extracts  I  used 
were  superior  to  the  extracts  obtained  from  the 
male  sexual  glands  of  animals.  It  seems  to  be 
easier  to  prepare  very  active  female  than  male 
extracts.  The  female  extracts  contain  the  most 
active  portion  of  the  ovaries,  the  lutein  cells,  which 
portion  constitutes  the  internal  secretion  of  the 
ovaries.  Such  preparations  are  more  easily  ob- 
tained than  those  of  male  animals  which  contain 
the  cells  concerned  with  internal  secretion,  the  cells 
of  Leydig. 

One  may  ascribe  to  stimulation  of  the  sexual 
glands  and  the  thyroid  the  fact  that  among  the  dif- 
ferent evidences  of  rejuvenation  there  occurred  a 

[216] 


Animal  Gland  Preparations 

marked  increase  of  mental  activity,  as  in  Steinach's 
experiments.  I  have  already  mentioned  such  ef- 
fects in  my  book  on  the  treatment  of  old  age,  and 
those  who  have  read  my  work  on  the  improvement 
of  the  human  intellect  through  hygienic  and  thera- 
peutic measures  will  have  noted,  in  the  chapter  on 
the  influence  of  the  sexual  glands  upon  the  intel- 
lect, the  close  relations  existing  between  the  two. 

Nearly  all  the  great  men  of  present  and  past 
times,  including  great  writers,  artists,  famous  gen- 
erals, etc.,  have  had  highly  developed  sexual  procliv- 
ities. Their  high-grade  intellect  offers  an  enormous 
contrast  to  the  inferior  mental  qualities  and  feeble 
intellect  of  castrates. 

Steinach  particularly  mentions  how  his  operated 
rats  emerged  from  their  apathetic  state  and  began 
to  evince  curiosity  as  to  every  object  passed  into 
their  cages.  Likewise,  the  men  who  were  operated 
on  by  Lichtenstern  showed  a  marked  improvement 
in  mentality,  and  especially  a  better  memory — a 
fact  upon  which  I  have  also  laid  stress  in  the 
books  above  mentioned,  and  in  particular  in  a  work 
I  have  just  written,  on  poor  memory  and  the  means 
of  improving  it.  Even  the  earliest  writers  on  the 
subject  made  note  of  the  fact  that  they  had  ob- 
served a  marked  influence  of  thyroid  treatment  on 
the  memory. 

The  favorable   effects   of  the   combined   thyroid 

[217] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

and  sexual  gland  treatment  on  the  mind  were  also 
clearly  evidenced  by  a  fact  I  often  had  occasion  to 
observe,  viz.,  that  persons  of  despondent  mood  and 
pessimistic  disposition  showed  a  marked  change  in 
this  respect  after  some  weeks'  treatment,  becoming 
more  cheerful  and  lively,  and  looking  at  things  from 
a  more  favorable  viewpoint. 

Having  obtained  such  good  results  from  inter- 
nal treatment  by  the  ingestion  of  animal  glands, 
it  is  not  possible  for  me  to  recommend  attempts 
at  rejuvenation  by  surgical  methods.  Not  only 
are  such  methods  not  free  from  risk,  but  lately  it 
has  been  found  that  the  results  are  not  always  to 
be  depended  on,  for  in  some  cases  the  operation 
has  been  without  avail. 

Hitherto  it  has  been  a  general  rule  in  thera- 
peutics to  undertake  operations  in  "internal"  dis- 
eases only  in  cases  where  internal  treatment  does 
not  present  a  favorable  outlook.  This  is  certainly 
not  the  case  here.  In  any  event,  the  wisest  plan 
would  be,  I  think,  to  try  internal  treatment  first, 
and  then  proceed  to  operative  intervention  only  if 
the  internal  treatment  fails  to  yield  satisfactory  re- 
sults, using  good  preparations  and  at  the  same  time 
living  a  hygienic  life,  with  avoidance  of  such  agents 
as  might  counteract  the  effects  of  the  thyroid  and 
sexual  glands,  such  as  alcohol,  abuse  of  tobacco, 
strong  coffee  or  tea,  etc.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 

[218] 


Animal  Gland  Preparations 

good  results  will  nearly  always  follow  the  glandular 
treatment. 

But  even  after  rejuvenation  has  been  obtained 
by  operation,  such  a  hygienic  mode  of  life  as  I  have 
recommended  must  be  strictly  maintained  if  one 
wants  to  profit  fully  and  for  a  long  time  from  the 
results  of  Steinach's  operative  procedure.  Rats  do 
not,  we  may  note,  drink  alcohol  nor  smoke,  and  if 
such  operated  persons  will  fall  back  into  their  old 
habits,  they  may  not  enjoy  the  results  of  the  opera- 
tion very  long.  At  the  same  time,  it  would  seem 
very  rational  for  such  operated  persons  to  ingest 
animal  thyroid  and  sexual  gland  extracts  in  order 
to  prevent  recurrent  decay  of  these  glands. 

With  reference  to  what  has  been  said  above,  there 
may  be  some  of  my  readers  who  will  object  that 
thyroid  treatment  may  itself  present  certain  dan- 
gers. Such  a  remark  would  not  have  been  wholly 
unjustified  if  it  had  been  made  about  twenty-eight 
or  thirty  years  ago,  but  at  the  present  time  it  must 
be  considered  thoroughly  unfounded  and  obsolete. 

We  have  learned  much  since  then,  and  through 
the  treatment  of  so  many  hundreds  of  cases  our 
knowledge  and  experience  have  been  enriched  by 
many  facts  of  which  we  were  then  quite  ignorant. 
Above  all,  we  now  dispose  of  far  better  prepara- 
tions as  compared  to  the  primitive  and  sometimes 
poisonous  ones  then  in  use. 

[219] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Again,  we  now  know  what  selections  must  be 
made  from  among  the  patients  themselves  before 
they  are  subjected  to  such  treatment.  I  present 
full  details  on  these  points  and  as  to  how  to 
carry  out  such  a  treatment  in  my  book  on  "Old 
Age  Deferred,"  laying  special  stress  upon  the  ne- 
cessity of  great  caution  in  cases  of  heart  disorder. 

I  must  here  add,  however,  that  at  the  last  Con- 
gress on  Diseases  of  Nutrition  at  Homburg  in 
September  of  last  year,  Prof.  Lichtwitz  advocated 
the  use  of  thyroid  even  in  heart  cases,  on  the  basis 
of  his  observations,  providing  certain  special  pre- 
cautions were  used.  At  the  same  Congress  Prof. 
Strauss  recommended  that  one  should  use  only 
the  thyroids  of  well  nourished  animals. 

At  the  same  Congress  Prof,  von  Noorden  men- 
tioned, in  the  discussion  following  the  address  on 
internal  secretions  by  Prof.  Biedl,  of  Prague,  the 
fact  that,  following  my  example,  he  had  also 
treated  several  cases  of  aged  persons  with  thyroid 
gland,  observing  a  rejuvenation  similar  to  that 
described  by  me  in  "Old  Age  Deferred."  Some 
time  previously  he  had  made  the  same  statement 
in  his  "Handbook  on  Dietetics,"  published  with 
the  collaboration  of  Prof.  Salomon,  of  Vienna. 

I  have  treated  several  hundred  persons  with 
thyroid  extracts,  and  have  taken  them  myself,  and 
have  never  seen  any  disagreeable  symptoms  fol- 

[220] 


Animal  Gland  Preparations 

lowing  their  use,  It  is  true,  however,  that  I  have 
selected  my  patients  very  carefully.  Diabetic  per- 
sons or  those  suffering  from  Graves's  disease  (ex- 
ophthalmic goiter)  must,  of  course,  be  excluded; 
likewise  other  persons  presenting  symptoms  of 
exaggerated  activity  of  the  thyroid  gland,  This 
is  but  natural,  for  what  we  seek  to  obtain  through 
the  treatment  is  an  improvement  of  the  functions 
of  a  degenerated  or  insufficient  and  inactive  thy- 
roid gland. 

Again,  I  have  made  it  a  rule  to  examine  the 
pulse  and  heart  of  the  patients  every  three  or  four 
days,  and  also  to  keep  the  condition  of  the  urine 
under  observation.  I  cannot  see  any  possibility 
that  while  keeping  the  patients  under  such  strict 
supervision  thyroid  treatment  could  present  the 
least  danger.  For  even  if,  after  large  doses,  the 
earliest  symptoms  of  intolerance  should  begin  to 
show  themselves,  all  that  would  be  required  would 
be  to  suspend  the  treatment  for  a  time, 

It  is  to  be  understood  that  the  preparations 
used  should  be  carefully  selected,  and  only  such 
preparations  employed  as  are  already  known 
through  previous  experience  to  have  given  good 
results.  I  have  knowledge  of  quite  a  few  cases 
in  which  it  had  been  maintained  that  thyroid  treat- 
ment gave  no  results  whatever,  but  in  which  I 
was  able  to  convince  myself  that  ineffective  thyroid 

[221] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

extractives  had  been  used,  for  the  same  extracts 
administered  to  other  patients  likewise  gave  no 
results. 

In  general,  even  in  the  early  years  of  thyroid 
treatment,  twenty-eight  to  thirty  years  ago,  it 
caused  bad  results  only  when  poor  preparations 
were  used  or  excessive  use  had  been  made  of  good 
preparations.  Of  course  any  other  very  active  drug 
may  lead  to  disagreeable  consequences  if  it  is 
abused  of. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  state  that  I  feel  well  jus- 
tified in  giving  preference,  for  purposes  of  re- 
juvenation, to  the  internal  treatment  by  glandular 
extracts,  for  in  experienced  hands  any  disagreeable 
consequences  of  it  are  with  certainty  obviated, 
something  that  cannot  be  said  for  the  operative 
treatment.  At  the  same  time  the  internal  treat- 
ment produces  results  that  are  but  little  inferior 
to  those  obtained  by  operation  in  man.  Especially 
is  this  the  case  if  one  enhances  the  effects  of  the 
gland  treatment  by  using  at  the  same  time  certain 
drugs,  such  as  arsenic,  iron,  or  the  iodides,  and 
the  ultra-violet  rays  of  sunlight. 


[222] 


IV 

REJUVENATION    BY    THE    USE    OF    IODIDES    AND 
CERTAIN    OTHER    DRUGS 

HTHE  rejuvenating  effects  of  arsenic  have  already 
been  known  for  a  long  time.  I  mentioned  them 
in  my  book  on  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  attributing 
the  effects  of  arsenic  to  a  stimulation  of  the  sex 
glands,  especially  in  women,  in  whom  the  rejuve- 
nating effects  are  greater  than  those  obtained  in 
men. 

Iron,  in  its  different  preparations,  acts  similarly, 
although  its  effects  do  not  approach  those  of 
arsenic.  If  it  is  combined  with  arsenic,  however, 
the  effects  of  the  latter,  especially  in  women,  be- 
come far  more  pronounced.  Iron  also  acts  through 
its  influence  upon  the  sex  glands,  especially  those 
of  the  female  sex,  stimulating  them  to  increased 
activity. 

In  the  book  above  referred  to,  I  also  pointed 
out  the  rejuvenating  effects  of  the  iodides.  These 
stimulate  the  activity  of  the  thyroid  gland.  In 
fact,  as  shown  by  Dr.  Charles  E.  de  M.  Sajous, 
of  Philadelphia,  in  his  classic  work  on  "Internal 
Secretions,"  the  various  active  drugs  availed  of  in 
the  art  of  healing  all  at  first  excite  or  in  some  way 

[223  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

modify  the  activity  of  these  various  glands,  the 
effects  they  produce  being  consequent  upon  this 
stimulating  or  modifying  action. 

In  treating  arteriosclerosis,  the  disease  most  con- 
stant in  old  age,  we  give  iodides  as  the  best  remedy 
at  hand.  In  doing  so  we  administer  the  main  ele- 
ment contained  in  the  thyroid  gland.  But  we  can 
give  it  to  old  persons  even  for  the  sole  reason  that 
in  old  age  the  thyroid,  as  a  rule,  shows  less 
iodine — a  fact  established  by  prominent  authorities, 
such  as  Magnus-Levy. 

A  thyroid  that  contains  little  or  no  iodine  is 
not  an  active  thyroid.  When  we  give  iodides  un- 
der these  conditions,  as  shown  by  Kocher  and 
others,  we  increase  the  iodine  content  of  the  thy- 
roid gland.  Therefore  I  have  recommended  the 
use  of  iodides  in  very  small  quantities  even  to 
healthy  persons  who  are  on  the  borderland  of  old 
age,  as  a  preventive.  I  would  like  to  add  here 
that  the  quantities  to  be  given  depend  upon  the 
age  of  the  subject  and  upon  whether  more  or  less 
pronounced  symptoms  of  incipient  old  age  are 
present. 

More  can  be  given  in  confirmed  cases,  in  per- 
sons suffering  from  the  effects  of  old  age,  espe- 
cially men  in  the  fifties  or  sixties.  In  advanced 
old  age  we  may  give  less. 

In  persons  between  fifty-five  and  sixty-five  years 

[224] 


Use  of  Drugs 

of  age  I  have  witnessed  a  rejuvenation  following 
doses  of  about  eight,  ten,  twelve,  or  fifteen  grains 
of  iodine  a  day,  ingested  in  the  various  preparations 
of  the  iodides.  One  should  proceed  only  with  great 
caution  with  such  doses,  however,  not  exceeding  ten 
grains  a  day  unless  it  is  quite  necessary. 

The  rejuvenating  effects  of  such  doses  can  be 
explained  on  the  basis  of  the  researches  of  Steinach. 
He  has  shown  that  agencies  which  produce  a 
degenerative  effect  upon  the  externally  secreting 
portions  of  the  testicles,  i.e.,  the  seminiferous  por- 
tions, at  the  same  time  induce  an  increase  in  the 
normal  activity  of  the  internally  secreting  portion 
which  may  go  so  far  that  even  an  actual  hyper- 
trophic  condition,  with  the  growth  of  many  new 
cells,  follows. 

Such  a  condition  may  be  a  result  of  ligation 
of  the  seminal  ducts,  but  it  may  also  be  brought 
about  by  such  other  procedures  or  drugs  as  pro- 
duce a  degenerative  effect  upon  the  seminiferous 
structures.  Now,  the  Roentgen  rays  are  capable 
of  producing  such  an  effect,  a  fact  already  well 
known  years  ago.  In  conjunction  with  the  Roent- 
gen specialist,  Holzknecht,  Steinach  carried  out 
researches  in  this  direction  and  found,  indeed,  a 
certain  degree  of  rejuvenation  following  his 
experiments. 

That  x-ray  exposure  may  destroy   the   fertility 

15  [  225  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

of  male  and  female  animals  is  a  fact  that  was 
demonstrated  years  ago  and  applies  to  human  be- 
ings. Indeed  there  are  cases  in  which,  for  the  relief 
of  certain  diseases  of  the  female  sexual  organs, 
x-ray  or  radium  treatment  is  substituted  for  an 
operation,  and  results  may  follow  which  are  quite 
similar  to  those  of  operative  removal  of  the  ovaries. 

Thus,  there  are  two  ways  of  obtaining  the  effects 
of  removal  of  the  ovaries:  (1)  By  operation, 
(2)  by  Roentgen  ray  treatment. 

There  are  also  certain  drugs  which  exert  a  simi- 
lar deleterious  influence  upon  the  seminiferous 
portions  of  the  testicles,  viz.,  the  iodides.  Years 
ago  there  were  published  reports  from  different 
parts  upon  the  destructive  effects  of  large  doses 
of  iodides  on  the  testicles,  with  harmful  results  as 
regards  fertility.  When  iodides  are  given  in  cer- 
tain quantities  the  symptoms  of  intolerance  may 
present  themselves,  constituting  a  condition  we 
term  iodism. 

These  symptoms  are  due  very  probably  to  an 
exaggeration  of  thyroid  activity.  Iodine  being 
contained  in  the  thyroid  gland  in  larger  amount 
than  in  any  other  gland  and  constituting  its  most 
important  component  substance,  it  will  readily  be 
understood  that  if  too  much  of  it  is  given  it  will 
excite  an  unduly  pronounced  activity  of  the  gland. 
Strange  to  say,  I  have  myself  observed — and  with 

[226] 


Use  of  Drugs 

me  a  number  of  others — that  frequently  even  rela- 
tively small  doses  of  the  iodides  produce  such  an 
effect,  viz.,  iodism,  yet  if  afterwards  larger  doses 
are  given,  they  are  well  borne  and  bring  about  a 
feeling  of  well  being  and  all  the  beneficial  effects 
known  to  be  characteristic  of  this  drug. 

I  am  not  among  those  who  look  with  alarm  upon 
these  symptoms  of  thyroid  excitation. 

I  do  not  consider  it  an  untoward  result  if  an 
arteriosclerotic  person,  with  symptoms  of  sclerosis 
of  the  brain  vessels,  suffers  from  one  of  the  typi- 
cal symptoms  of  iodism,  viz..,  a  running  at  the 
nose.  Indeed,  as  I  show  in  my  book  on  the  im- 
provement of  human  intellect,  such  persons  ought 
to  be  thankful  if  the  circulation  of  the  brain  is 
relieved  this  way,  close  relations  existing  between 
the  circulation  of  the  blood-vessels  of  the  brain 
and  that  in  the  vessels  of  the  nose. 

Nor  can  it  be  considered  as  a  serious  drawback 
if  toxic  substances  are  carried  out  and  deposited 
at  the  periphery  of  the  body,  in  the  skin,  giving 
rise  to  pimples. 

A  feeling  of  marked  lassitude  may  also  be  pres- 
ent as  one  of  these  symptoms,  and  not  infrequently 
also  an  attenuation  of  the  sexual  function. 

Not  by  any  means  do  I  consider  such  a  condition 
of  iodism  as  an  unfortunate  event,  for  it  is  only 
a  passing  stage,  and  if  larger  doses  are  given,  it 

[227] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

may  disappear  altogether.  Indeed,  in  such  cases 
as  I  have  noted  recently,  in  which  large  doses  of 
iodides  had  been  given  on  account  of  previous 
syphilitic  infection,  a  marked  state  of  well  being 
can  be  produced  for  a  certain  period  of  time,  with 
an  increase  of  muscular  strength. 

Long  walks  and  climbing  in  the  mountains  be- 
came possible  without  the  subsequent  feeling  of 
great  fatigue.  Likewise  the  sexual  desire  re- 
appeared, sometimes  even  in  a  higher  degree  than 
before  the  treatment.  These  persons,  furthermore, 
began  to  look  younger  than  their  age,  and  in 
general  became  decidedly  more  vigorous. 

I  feel  inclined  to  account  for  these  rejuvenat- 
ing effects  on  the  basis  of  the  experiments  of 
Steinach.  After  having  first  exercised  a  deleteri- 
ous effect  upon  the  seminiferous  structures,  a 
stimulation  of  the  internally  secreting  portion 
probably  took  place. 

I  would  also  venture  the  same  explanation  in 
regard  to  the  well  known  rejuvenating  effects  of 
arsenic.  Here  again,  only  large  doses  are  efficacious. 

A  very  good  illustration  of  this  fact  is  presented 
by  the  Styrian  arsenic  eaters.  In  Styria,  a  prov- 
ince of  Austria,  it  is  the  habit  of  many  persons 
to  eat  large  quantities  of  arsenic,  which  is  taken 
in  such  doses  as  would  prove  fatal  to  others.  They 
begin  the  course  with  small  doses,  and  then  slowly 

[228] 


Use  of  Drugs 

habituate  their  systems  to  the  use  of  larger  ones 
until  they  reach  poisonous  amounts.  Probably  this 
habituation  is  induced  by  the  fact,  noticed  by  them- 
selves, that  upon  taking  arsenic  habitually  their 
bodily  strength  improves  and  they  are  enabled 
more  easily  to  climb  over  the  steep,  high  moun- 
tains that  form  the  greater  part  of  their  country. 

These  persons  appear  much  younger  than  one 
would  expect  from  their  real  age.  A  few  women 
about  fifty-eight  to  sixty-two  years  of  age,  whom 
I  saw,  looked  like  young  women. 

Strange  to  note,  rejuvenating  effects  similar  to 
those  in  Steinach's  old  rats  can  be  observed  in  such 
persons.  They  grow  an  abundance  of  hair  on  the 
head,  as  well  as  in  the  form  of  a  beard,  are  very 
vigorous,  and  look  many  years  younger  than  their 
actual  age. 

I  think  it  probable  that  arsenic  produces  these 
effects  through  its  deleterious  influence — in  large 
doses — upon  the  sexual  glands,  with  subsequent 
stimulation  of  the  internally  secreting  portions  of 
these  organs. 

Probably  there  exist  several  drugs  having  this 
effect.  From  certain  observations  I  feel  strongly 
inclined  to  include  mercury  among  them.  I  have 
certainly  seen  in  several  syphilitics,  after  a  radical 
cure  by  mercury,  such  rejuvenating  effects  as  an 
abundant  growth  of  new  hair — but  have  not  had 

[229] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

the  courage  to  recommend  such  a  cure  for  pur- 
poses of  rejuvenation. 

In  describing  the  various  means  for  effecting 
rejuvenation  I  am  simply  fulfilling  the  task  of  a 
writer  on  the  subject,  viz.,  that  of  discussing  the 
different  measures  which  lead  to  the  desired  result. 
But  this  certainly  does  not  mean  that  I  advocate 
every  one  of  them.  Indeed,  I  must  emphatically 
warn  against  the  use  of  large  doses  of  iodides  or 
arsenic  for  such  purposes,  except  in  cases  in  which 
syphilitic  infection  has  previously  been  acquired. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  do  not  see  any  harm  in 
the  use  of  small  doses  of  these  drugs,  if  this  be 
done  under  intelligent  and  immediate  medical  con- 
trol, especially  as  an  auxiliary  agency  in  the  treat- 
ment by  gland  extracts — as  a  species  of  stimulant 
to  the  thyroid  and  sexual  glands. 

Arsenic  is  capable  of  doing  much  good  in  cases 
of  anemia,  neurasthenia,  and  hysteria,  and  iodides 
can  be  of  great  value  in  arteriosclerotic  conditions. 
The  latter,  while  most  frequently  present  in  old 
age,  was  also  found  in  the  course  of  numerous 
autopsies  during  the  late  war  in  younger  individ- 
uals previously  free  of  any  apparent  symptoms  of 
such  a  condition. 

It  is  useless  to  wait  to  administer  iodides  until 
arteriosclerosis  has  become  established  in  a  high 
degree  and  irremediable  organic  changes  have 

[230] 


Use  of  Drugs 

taken  place.  A  slow,  sluggish  circulation  is  nearly 
always  present  in  aged  persons,  and  sometimes 
even  in  younger  subjects,  and  I  should  like  to 
insist  upon  the  important  fact  that  the  iodides,  by 
diminishing  the  viscosity  of  the  blood,  assist  in  the 
rapid  passage  of  the  blood  through  the  smaller 
arteries  and  capillaries. 


[231] 


REJUVENATION     BY     MEANS     OF     THE     ULTRA-VIOLET 
RAYS    OF    NATURAL   AND    ARTIFICIAL    SUN- 
LIGHT   (QUARTZ  LIGHT) 

G EVE HAL  thousand  years  ago,  in  the  sacred 
books  of  the  Hindus,  a  rejuvenating  effect 
was  attributed  to  the  sun's  rays.  The  latter  were 
stated  therein  to  restore  vigor  to  the  muscles  of 
the  aged,  and  to  enliven  their  minds.  Indeed,  such 
a  belief  in  the  healing  and  conserving  properties 
of  sunlight  can  be  traced  in  many  of  the  nations 
of  remotest  times,  not  only  in  Europe,  Asia,  and 
Africa,  but  likewise  in  America,  where  both  in 
Mexico  and  Peru  the  sun  was  worshipped  as  one 
of  the  principal  deities,  as  described  in  the  won- 
derful works  of  the  great  American  historian, 
Prescott. 

As  the  renowned  English  astronomer,  Sir  Wil- 
liam Herschell,  puts  it,  the  sun  is  the  source  of 
all  energies  on  earth.  There  can  be  no  doubt  of 
this  fact.  In  the  last  analysis,  it  is  the  rays  of 
the  sun  that  drive  the  wheels  of  all  machines  and 
all  ships,  for  the  coal,  oil,  or  gasoline  they  burn 
is  nothing  else  but  stored  up  energy  of  sun's  rays 
which  shone  many  thousands  or  even  millions  of 
years  ago  upon  prehistoric  plants  and  trees.  The 

[232  ] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

oil  substituted  for  coal  is  also  a  product  of  the 
energy  of  these  rays  stored  up  in  the  grains  and 
seeds  of  the  plants. 

The  sun  is  the  greatest  motor  on  earth,  and  even 
the  source  of  electricity  can  likewise  be  ascribed 
to  the  effects  of  sun,  which  takes  up  the  water 
from  the  surface  of  the  sea  and  lets  it  fall  again 
elsewhere  as  rain,  thus  not  only  procuring  food 
for  animals  and  man,  but  creating  the  rivers  and 
augmenting  their  flow,  which  yields  energy  to  be 
transformed  into  electricity. 

Everywhere  we  come  back  to  the  sun's  rays  as 
the  driving  agency  to  all  living  creatures,  and  the 
source  of  all  forces  on  earth. 

The  sun's  rays  actually  constitute  the  driving 
force  behind  the  human  mechanism.  Every  beat 
of  our  heart  can  be  traced  back  to  the  sun  as  the 
causal  agent.  The  heart  is  a  muscle,  and  as  with 
other  muscles,  its  work  is  done  at  the  expense  of 
a  carbohydrate,  known  as  glycogen,  which  is  stored 
up  in  it.  After  work  has  been  done  by  the  mus- 
cles, less  of  this  carbohydrate  is  to  be  found  in 
them,  depending  upon  the  amount  of  work  done. 
To  create  this  carbohydrate,  however,  sunshine  is 
indispensable.  For  only  with  the  help  of  the  sun's 
rays  is  starch  created  and  deposited  in  the  plants, 
which,  when  ingested  by  us,  are  transformed  in 
our  systems  into  sugar  and  deposited  in  the  muscles 

[233] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

in  the  form  of  the  above  mentioned  substance,  gly- 
cogen. 

If,  now,  we  remove  the  heart  from  an  animal 
while  it  is  still  living,  after  the  heart  has  stopped 
beating  already  for  hours  it  can  be  made  to  beat 
again,  even  for  days,  if  a  solution  of  sugar  is  placed 
in  its  cavities. 

I  recommend  the  giving  of  plenty  of  sweets, 
especially  honey  or  cane  sugar,  to  persons  suffer- 
ing with  weak  hearts. 

The  sun's  rays  do  not  merely  act  favorably  on 
bodily  health,  but  also  on  the  condition  of  the 
mind,  improving  it  markedly.  I  have  observed  the 
deleterious  effect — amongst  others — of  lack  of  sun- 
shine on  the  mentality,  and  here  I  would  like  to 
add  an  observation  made  on  157  Hungarian  pris- 
oners who,  after  the  Hungarian  Revolution  of  1848, 
were  kept  for  some  years  in  the  deep  dungeons  of 
the  Spielberg  at  Brlinn  (Moravia),  wherein  no 
sunlight  penetrated.  As  a  result,  about  10  per 
cent,  of  them  became  hopelessly  insane,  and  the 
remainder  sank  into  a  melancholic  condition  or  deep 
mental  depression  from  which  they  continued  to 
suffer  for  some  time  after  being  set  free. 

In  "Old  Age  Deferred"  I  have  already  praised 
the  effects  of  sunshine  as  a  means  of  treatment 
for  old  age,  and  I  would  now  add  a  series  of  new 
facts,  especially  of  my  own  observation,  upon  the 

[234] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

rejuvenating  effects  of  the  ultra-violet  rays  of  sun- 
light. 

As  was  already  proved  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton, 
the  spectrum  of  the  sun,  which  shows  an  apparently 
white  light,  is  composed  of  several  rays  of  different 
colors.  If  one  causes  the  sun's  rays  to  pass 
through  a  glass  prism,  or  if  one  holds  a  diamond 
ring  against  a  piece  of  white  paper  and  lets  the 
sunshine  pass  through  it,  there  is  seen  a  kind  of 
rainbow  with  its  various  colors.  One  sees  the  fol- 
lowing colors:  Red,  yellow,  green,  blue  and  violet. 
But  after  the  violet  there  come  still  other  rays, 
which,  however,  have  such  short  wave  lengths  that 
we  cannot  see  them.  These  are  the  ultra-violet 
rays,  which  are  invisible.  There  exist  also  rays 
with  wave  lengths  much  shorter  still,  of  very  great 
intensity  and  healing  power,  but  sometimes  of 
fatal,  destructive  action — the  Roentgen  rays  or 
x-rays. 

These  radiations  differ  in  their  wave  lengths, 
rate  of  vibration,  and  likewise  in  their  actions. 

The  most  active  rays  contained  in  sunlight  are 
the  blue,  the  violet  and  especially  the  ultra-violet 
rays.  This  fact  has  been  proved  experimentally 
by  the  researches  of  a  number  of  prominent  scien- 
tists, of  whom  I  may  mention  as  one  of  the  earliest 
and  greatest  the  Dane,  Finsen.  Indeed,  we  can 
easily  study  the  effects  of  these  rays,  for  we  are 

[235] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

able  to  produce  by  certain  means  a  light  consist- 
ing mainly  of  ultra-violet  rays.  For  example,  if 
we  pass  an  electric  current  through  mercurial  va- 
pors, thus  rendering  them  incandescent,  we  obtain 
a  blue-green  light  of  the  greatest  intensity,  which 
is  enormously  rich  in  ultra-violet  rays.  In  fact, 
it  contains  scarcely  any  others  except  the  blue  and 
violet  rays,  and  very  little  if  any  of  the  red  or 
heat  rays. 

The  ultra-violet  rays  do  not  develop  any  marked 
activity  if  they  are  passed  through  glass,  for  glass 
arrests  about  90  per  cent,  of  these  rays.  But 
quartz  allows  them  to  pass  through  easily  without 
absorbing  any  of  their  strength.  We  can  thus 
readily  study  their  effects  by  exposing  persons  for 
a  certain  time  to  their  action. 

The  first  thing  observed  is  that  after  this  light 
has  been  directed  from  a  short  distance  for  at 
least  ten  to  fifteen  minutes  or  more  on  the  un- 
covered body  surface,  there  appears  a  reddening 
of  the  skin.  After  more  prolonged  exposure,  an 
inflamed  condition  of  the  skin  may  result,  which 
may  persist  for  a  few  days. 

No  doubt  this  reddening  of  the  skin  is  the  proof 
of  a  more  rapid  passage  of  the  blood  through  the 
smaller  arteries  and  capillaries,  which  have  become 
dilated  and  thus  allowed  the  blood  to  pass  through 
more  quickly.  These  vasodilator  effects  of  the 

[236] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

ultra-violet  rays  were  already  demonstrated  by 
Finsen. 

It  will  readily  be  understood  that  in  exposing  a 
large  surface  of  the  skin  to  such  light  one  has  an 
excellent  means  of  favorably  influencing  the  gen- 
eral circulation. 

When  more  blood  gets  to  the  periphery  of  the 
body,  more  of  it  is  taken  away  from  the  internal 
organs,  and  this  might  prove  most  beneficial  in 
congestive  conditions,  and  especially  in  reducing 
high  blood  pressure. 

Thus,  it  will  not  seem  surprising  that  a  reduc- 
tion of  high  blood  pressure  has  been  reported  by 
various  observers,  e.g.,  Bach,  in  his  book  on  the 
actions  of  the  quartz  lamp  (artificial  sunlight).  I 
have  also  myself  recently  observed  a  few  such  cases. 

Even  the  natural  sunlight,  if  rich  in  such  rays, 
is  capable  of  producing  similar  effects,  as  was  first 
ascertained  by  the  late  Dr.  Malgat,  of  Nice,4  and 
as  is  also  stated  in  the  report  of  D'Oelsnitz  on 
"L'heliotherapie,  complement  du  traitement  cli- 
matique,"  at  the  Congress  in  Monaco  (April,  1920). 

It  is  a  fact  of  great  importance  that,  as  the 
researches  of  the  Danish  physician,  Hasselbach,5 
demonstrate,  exposure  to  these  rays  powerfully 
promotes  the  respiratory  processes.  Indeed,  it  has 

4  Malgat:  La  cure  solaire  de  la  Tuberculose,  Paris,  1911. 

5  Hasselbach:  Hospitalstidende,  45,  47,  1905. 

[237] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

been  found  by  several  observers  that  the  organic 
combustion  and  processes  of  oxidation  in  the  tis- 
sues are  very  much  increased  through  the  action 
of  the  ultra-violet  rays,  the  blue  rays  also  being 
active  in  this  direction.  Quincke,  years  ago,  em- 
phasized these  facts,6  and  likewise  Bering,7  who 
reported  an  increase  of  the  red  blood  corpuscles 
and  of  the  hemoglobin  content  of  the  blood  under 
the  influence  of  the  violet  and  ultra-violet  rays. 

The  ultra-violet  rays  also  have  a  marked  influ- 
ence upon  muscular  agility,  as  I  found  by  ex- 
periments on  myself  consisting  of  exposure  at  over 
100  sittings  to  the  ultra-violet  rays  from  a  large 
quartz  lamp.  I  have  often  noticed  in  my  patients 
a  disappearance  of  lassitude  and  fatigue  and  a 
very  notable  increase  of  muscular  strength.  They 
were  able  to  climb  the  mountains  about  Carlsbad 
more  easily  after  having  taken  several  times  such 
a  bath  of  ultra-violet  rays  at  the  bathing  establish- 
ment at  the  Spa.  I  noticed  this  even  in  anemic 
young  girls  and  women,  whose  general  condition 
was  very  markedly  improved  by  this  treatment. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that,  as  a  general  rule,  there 
is  a  slow,  sluggish  blood  circulation  in  old  age, 
very  frequently  a  high  blood  pressure,  and  in  ad- 
dition a  diminution  of  the  processes  of  oxidation 

6  Quincke:  Archiv  fur  die  gesammte  Physiologic,  Bd.  57. 
7.Bering:  Med.  Natiirwissenschaftliches  Archiv,  Bd.  1.  1907. 

[238] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

and  marked  muscular  weakness — all  these  being 
typical  of  old  age — it  was  but  natural  that  the 
thought  should  come  to  me  to  apply  these  remark- 
able rays,  which  improve  the  circulation,  condition 
of  the  blood,  organic  combustion,  and  the  agility 
of  the  muscles,  to  the  treatment  of  old  age.  In- 
deed, the  results  obtained  were  excellent,  and  from 
observations  made  on  several  patients  last  summer, 
and  likewise  on  myself,  I  can  recommend  exposure 
to  the  ultra-violet  rays,  whether  those  of  the  quartz 
lamp  or  of  very  pure  sunshine,  as  an  excellent 
measure  for  purposes  of  rejuvenation. 

My  first  patient — other  than  myself — was  a  mer- 
chant of  fifty-two  years,  who  had  been  operated 
two  years  before  by  Prof.  Finsterer,  of  Vienna,  for 
ulcer  of  the  duodenum,  and  was  directed  to  my 
treatment  in  Carlsbad  by  Prof.  Salomon,  also  of 
Vienna.  At  his  first  visit  I  found  an  anemic,  very 
weak  man,  not  equal  to  any  lengthy  walks,  and 
looking  fully  as  old  as  his  age  suggested.  I  rec- 
ommended, in  addition  to  a  very  mild  water  cure, 
daily  light  baths  with  the  quartz  light.  After  three 
weeks  of  daily  exposure  to  the  ultra-violet  rays 
this  patient  could  hardly  be  recognized  as  the  same 
man.  He  now  appeared  to  be  between  thirty-five 
and  forty  years  of  age,  and  presented  an  aspect  of 
blooming  health,  with  rosy  cheeks.  He  had  gained 
more  than  ten  pounds  in  weight. 

[239] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

An  increase  in  the  bulk  of  the  muscles  and  of 
the  weight  in  thin  persons  has  often  been  reported 
in  consequence  of  the  use  of  these  rays.  On  the 
other  hand,  in  the  case  of  fat  persons,  frequently 
a  very  notable  reduction  of  weight  takes  place, 
which  agrees  with  the  fact  that,  as  mentioned 
above,  the  processes  of  oxidation  are  greatly  in- 
creased by  these  rays  and  the  fat  in  the  system 
therefore  better  burnt. 

The  best  rejuvenating  results  obtained  by  me 
were  secured  through  combination  of  the  treatment 
by  gland  extracts  with  the  light  bath  with  the  ultra- 
violet rays. 

All  the  effects  above  described  as  resulting  from 
the  gland  treatment  appeared  more  rapidly  and 
in  greater  measure.  The  persons  thus  treated  pre- 
sented a  flourishing  appearance,  and  looked  con- 
siderably younger  than  their  age.  They  showed 
marked  muscular  endurance  and  were  able  to  make 
long  excursions  on  foot  without  feeling  very  tired. 
One  of  them,  a  weak  neurasthenic  of  fifty-five 
years,  was  able  to  dance  night  after  night  most 
indefatigably,  and  also  gave  evidences  of  virility 
becoming  a  man  of  much  younger  years. 

I  wish  to  call  particular  attention  to  the  great 
influence  of  these  rays  as  regards  improvement  of 
muscular  agility  and  increased  endurance. 

In  cases  of  diminished  sexual  desire  and  potency, 

[240] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

and  in  general  in  neurasthenic  conditions,  the  treat- 
ment proved  excellent. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that,  just  as  in  the  rats 
and  human  subjects  operated  on  by  Steinach's 
method,  the  condition  of  the  hair  notably  improved 
in  addition  to  the  other  symptoms  of  old  age. 
Indeed,  such  treatment  has  been  employed  for 
several  years  with  the  best  results  in  cases  of  fall- 
ing out  of  the  hair,  an  abundant  growth  of  hair 
sometimes  resulting  even  on  bald  heads.  Here 
again  the  results  were  far  more  notable  in  women 
than  in  men,  but  in  the  latter  also  they  were  some- 
times of  a  very  satisfactory  nature,  especially  in 
seborrheic  conditions. 

In  obtaining  rejuvenation  with  the  ultra-violet 
rays  it  is  not  indispensable  to  apply  solely  the 
ultra-violet  rays  of  artificial  origin,  such  as  those 
of  the  quartz  light. 

Similar  results  can  be  secured  more  or  less  per- 
fectly with  natural  sunlight.  It  is  then  necessary, 
however,  to  employ  only  a  very  pure,  clear  sun- 
shine. In  many  regions,  especially  in  cities,  this 
is  very  difficult  to  obtain.  One  cannot  expect  to 
get  ultra-violet  rays  from  sunlight  that  has  had 
to  pass  through  layers  absorbing  these  rays,  which 
are  easily  intercepted  by  dust,  smoke,  vapors,  etc. 

The  purest  sunshine,  and  the  richest  in  ultra- 
violet rays,  is  to  be  had  at  the  seaside,  where  the 

16  [  241  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

air  is  purest,  as  also  on  the  tops  of  very  high 
mountains. 

In  lying  down  on  the  beach  at  a  seaside  resort 
in  California  the  great  content  of  ultra-violet  rays 
in  the  sunshine  is  further  enhanced  by  reflection 
from  the  glittering  sand  and  the  mirror-like  sur- 
face of  the  sea.  Similar  conditions  in  Europe  are 
to  be  found  on  the  Riviera  in  France  and  Italy, 
where,  for  instance,  as  in  Nice,  Monte  Carlo, 
Menton,  and  San  Remo,  there  is  on  one  side  the 
gleaming  mirror  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  from 
its  surface  the  rays  are  reflected  upon  the  high, 
bald  mountains  in  the  background.  The  deep  blue 
sky  greatly  augments  the  effects.  It  is  a  proof 
of  the  great  content  of  blue  rays  in  the  air  (the 
blue  color  of  the  sky  is  an  effect  of  polarisation). 

Increased  temperature  of  the  air  enhances  its 
content  of  ultra-violet  rays,  according  to  the  ob- 
servations of  Vallot. 

Sunlight  is  also  very  rich  in  ultra-violet  rays  in 
the  high  mountains,  as  in  Colorado  and  Arizona, 
especially  at  places  situated  at  a  high  altitude  or 
where  there  are  high,  bald,  white,  glistening  moun- 
tains in  the  background.  In  Europe  such  condi- 
tions are  found  in  the  high  mountains  of  Switzer- 
land, e.g.,  at  Leysin,  where  Dr.  Rollier  is  obtain- 
ing such  splendid  results  in  children  with  tuber- 
culosis of  the  osseous  system,  and  at  St.  Moritz 

[242  ] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

and  Davos.  In  such  places  there  is  the  effect  of 
reflection  of  the  sun's  rays  from  the  gleaming  snow 
to  the  high  mountains  in  the  background.  Simi- 
lar conditions  prevail  in  the  High  Tatra  in  Czecho- 
slovakia. 

For  those  whose  means  do  not  permit  of  their 
going  so  far  away  from  home,  the  best  expedient 
will  be  to  lie  down  at  the  seaside  or  on  a  river 
bank  without  clothing  and  let  the  sun  shine  on 
him.  If  there  is  no  sea  or  river  nearby,  a  terrace 
in  a  garden  with  plenty  of  sunshine,  or  a  room 
with  southern  exposure  on  the  top  floor  of  a  house, 
will  do. 

To  obtain  the  full  effect  of  the  ultra-violet  rays 
the  body  must  be  kept  motionless.  The  least  move- 
ment may  diminish  the  results.  The  same  holds 
good  in  treatment  with  the  quartz  light. 

It  is  very  important  not  to  expose  the  body  for 
a  long  time  at  first,  but  only  gradually — ten 
minutes  the  first  day,  and  then  gradually  increas- 
ing up  to  thirty,  fifty,  and  sixty  minutes — expos- 
ing different  sides  of  the  body  alternately.  It  has 
been  found  by  Bach,  however,  that  good  results 
can  be  obtained  likewise  if  only  a  part  of  the  body 
is  uncovered  and  exposed,  e.g.,  the  chest  and  back. 
To  this  I  can  subscribe  from  my  own  observations. 

In  strong  sunshine  the  head  should  be  covered. 

After  the  sunbath,  whether  in  artificial  or  natural 

[243] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

ultra-violet  rays,  the  quantity  of  urine  passed  is 
augmented,  and  enhanced  elimination  of  uric  acid 
takes  place.  This  can  be  judged  roughly  from  the 
fact  that  a  urine  previously  of  a  light  color  now 
looks  dark  red,  thus  affording  evidence  that  the 
processes  of  oxidation  have  actually  increased 
through  the  effects  of  the  light  bath. 

We  can  convince  ourselves  of  the  remarkable 
effects  such  light  baths  are  capable  of  producing 
in  the  external  appearance  by  considering  the 
photographs  of  young  girls  treated  for  a  time  in 
this  manner  in  the  clinics  of  Rollier,  as  published 
in  the  last  volume  of  Eulenburg's  Encyclopedia. 
Looking  at  these  illustrations  one  observes  how 
from  homely,  thin,  and  wretched  looking  creatures, 
literally  skeletons,  these  girls  were  transformed 
into  beauties  with  well-rounded  limbs  and  promi- 
nent mammary  glands,  the  pictures  of  splendid 
health. 

One  of  the  assistants  of  Rollier,  Bardenheuer, 
observed  the  additional  good  effects  of  such  treat- 
ment upon  the  condition  of  the  blood,  the  result 
being  an  increase  of  the  red  blood  corpuscles  and 
hemoglobin  similar  to  that  noted  after  treatment 
with  the  artificially  produced  ultra-violet  rays. 

Indeed,  all  of  the  effects  of  the  ultra-violet  rays 
of  the  quartz  lamp  can  be  produced  by  natural 
sunlight,  provided  it  is  very  rich  in  ultra-violet 

[244] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

rays.  In  fact,  personally  I  give  preference,  as 
always  and  everywhere,  to  the  natural  means,  the 
natural  sunlight,  if  only  it  can  be  secured  in  all 
its  purity. 

As  previously  mentioned,  the  ultra-violet  rays 
possess  the  shortest  wave  lengths  of  any  rays  in 
the  spectrum  of  the  sun.  At  the  same  time  the 
number  of  their  vibrations  mounts  up  into  the  bil- 
lions. If  these  reach  our  skin,  no  doubt  marked 
effects  must  be  produced,  and  the  immense  ener- 
gies contained  in  them  be  transmitted  to  the  tissues. 

They  also  reach  the  terminals  of  the  numerous 
nerves  at  the  periphery  of  our  body,  causing  there 
a  certain  stimulating  impression,  and  according  to 
the  great  French  investigator,  Bouchard,  the  en- 
ergies thus  taken  up  by  the  nerve  ends  are  trans- 
ferred to  the  central  nervous  system  and  from 
there  to  all  the  internal  organs,  imparting  energy 
to  them. 

If,  when  tired,  we  rest  for  a  time  under  the 
quartz  light  or  exposed  to  the  rays  of  a  pure  sun- 
shine rich  in  ultra-violet  rays,  we  feel  markedly 
invigorated  (except  if  the  sun  is  too  hot,  contain- 
ing too  much  of  the  red  rays,  which  impart  heat), 
and  at  the  same  time  very  often  we  may  find  our- 
selves much  heightened  in  spirit.  The  energies  of 
these  rays  transmitted  to  the  central  nervous  sys- 
tem make  their  effects  felt  in  the  mind  itself. 

[245] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

Thus,  against  a  mental  depression,  a  melancholic 
condition,  a  morose  disposition,  a  stay  for  a  cer- 
tain period  in  such  sunny  regions  as  California, 
Arizona,  Colorado,  Mexico,  the  Bahama  Islands, 
Florida,  Cuba,  and  in  Europe  on  the  French  and 
Italian  Riviera,  Andalusia  (Malaga),  the  Portu- 
guese Riviera,  Greece,  etc.,  is  frequently  capable 
of  yielding  the  best  results,  as  also  travelling  in 
Egypt. 

In  my  book,  "Building  Human  Intelligence," 
and  in  my  latest  book  on  the  "Improvement  of 
Poor  Memory  by  Hygienic  and  Therapeutic 
Means,"  I  have  clearly  shown  the  favorable  effects 
of  such  a  climate,  and  I  would  now  like  to  add 
that,  as  the  report  of  Armand  Delille  on  "Helio- 
therapie  preventive,"  at  the  last  Congress  on  Light 
Treatment  in  Monaco  pointed  out,  similar  results 
have  been  observed  among  the  children  kept  in  the 
asylums  and  sanatoriums  on  the  Riviera.  He  lays 
stress  upon  the  improvement  of  the  dispositions 
and  mental  condition  of  these  children,  and  says, 
for  example,  "1'harmonie  et  la  gaiete  regnent  d'une 
maniere  constante  parmi  les  eleves  de  1'ecole  au 
soleil,"  thus  proving  what  I  stated  in  my  book  on 
"Building  Human  Intelligence,"  in  which  I  advo- 
cated the  institution  of  open-air  schools. 

An  English  physician,  Dr.  Truby  King,  visiting 
the  establishment  of  Dr.  Delille  at  Sylvabelle,  con- 

[246] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

firmed  these  observations,  finding  the  children,  as 
Delille  says,  "exuberants  de  vie  et  de  gaiete."  Dr. 
Rollier,  of  Leysin,  had  already  published  similar 
observations  concerning  the  great  improvement  in 
the  mental  capacities  of  the  children,  and  Revillet 
noticed  the  same  thing  among  the  Swiss  children 
who  were  kept  at  the  Asylum  for  Children  of  the 
Swiss  Republic  at  Cannes,  on  the  French  Riviera. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  ultra-violet  rays — in  which 
the  sunlight  in  these  regions  is  exceedingly  rich- 
act  also  upon  the  mental  condition,  producing  re- 
sults similar  to  those  following  the  operations  of 
Steinach  on  rats  and  human  subjects. 

I  was  able  to  observe  improvement  of  the  mental 
condition  likewise  in  aged  persons  after  treatment 
by  the  ultra-violet  rays  from  the  quartz  lamp. 
They  showed  more  interest  in  reading  scientific 
books,  and  found  it  easier  to  retain  in  their  mem- 
ory things  they  had  just  read.  Past  events  were 
also  better  recollected.  Mental  arithmetic  became 
easier  for  them. 

Similar  observations  on  aged  persons  may  be 
made  also  after  a  sojourn  in  regions  enjoying  pure 
sunshine  rich  in  ultra-violet  rays.  If  we  send  over- 
worked and  neurasthenic  business  men  into  such 
regions  for  a  vacation,  we  can  often  see  marked 
improvement  not  only  in  their  bodily  but  also  in 
their  mental  condition.  After  a  prolonged  stay  in 

[247] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

such  districts  we  not  infrequently  see  them  pre- 
senting a  more  youthful  aspect  when  they  return. 

We  can  also  often  note  that  in  such  sunny  cli- 
mates aged  persons  who  are  doing  work  in  the 
open  air,  out  in  the  sun,  appear  considerably 
younger  than  their  actual  age. 

I  would  like  now  to  take  up  the  question  as  to 
how  the  rejuvenation  is  brought  about  through  the 
ultra-violet  rays.  Here,  as  always,  when  rejuve- 
nation occurs,  it  is  effected,  as  my  observations 
and  the  operative  results  of  Steinach  demonstrate, 
in  one,  and  only  one,  way,  viz.,  through  stimulation 
of  the  endocrin  glands,  especially  the  thyroid  and 
sexual  glands,  by  the  ultra-violet  rays. 

I  can  prove  by  direct  evidence  that  this  is  more 
than  a  mere  supposition.  The  ultra-violet  rays, 
like  the  Roentgen  rays,  to  which  they  are  closely 
related,  exercise  a  direct  influence  upon  these 
glands;  only,  the  intensity  of  their  action  is  dif- 
ferent, that  of  the  x-rays  being  much  more  power- 
ful— actually  deleterious — than  that  of  the  ultra- 
violet rays,  which  are  more  of  a  stimulating  nature, 
upon  both  the  externally  and  the  internally  secret- 
ing portions  of  the  testicles  and  ovaries.  The 
x-rays,  however,  as  previously  mentioned,  destroy 
the  externally  secreting  portion,  and  in  conse- 
quence are  powerfully  stimulating  to  the  internal 
secretion. 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

Last  summer  I  treated  several  young  girls  and 
women  for  goiter  by  exposure  to  the  sun,  at  the 
same  time  administering  thyroid  and  iodine  treat- 
ment. I  found  that  upon  combining  the  drug 
treatment  with  the  treatment  by  the  sun's  rays  the 
results  were  far  better.  These  persons  took  the 
sunbath  on  the  shores  of  a  river  flowing  on  the 
outskirts  of  Carlsbad,  or  lying  in  a  canoe  on  the 
river.  This  is  an  especially  efficacious  procedure, 
and  upon  lying  in  a  rowboat  on  the  river,  in  the 
sunshine,  for  a  certain  time  an  intense  pigmenta- 
tion of  the  skin  can  be  obtained  as  proof  of  the 
direct  action  of  the  ultra-violet  rays.  It  would 
not  be  wise,  however,  to  take  such  a  sunbath  on 
very  hot  summer  days  and  certainly  not  at  noon. 

The  method  requires  a  clear,  pure  sunshine,  rich 
in  ultra-violet  rays,  but  not  the  excessively  warm 
rays  of  the  sun  on  hot  summer  days  with  a  close 
atmosphere.  On  such  days  the  morning  hours  up 
to  about  10:30  or  11,  or  the  afternoon  after  4 
o'clock,  are  most  suitable,  in  order  to  avoid  sun- 
stroke. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  measure,  espe- 
cially in  regions  where  the  sun  is  rich  in  ultra- 
violet rays,  is  capable  of  powerfully  assisting  in 
the  treatment  of  the  diseases  of  the  thyroid  by 
thyroid  gland. 

Sometimes  there  are  good  results  even  without 

[249  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

the  thyroid.  Thus  Revillet,  of  Cannes,  obtained 
very  good  effects  in  children  with  congenital  myxe- 
dema  who  were  sent  from  Switzerland  to  the 
Asylum  for  Children  of  the  Swiss  Republic. 
Through  simple  exposure  to  the  sun's  rays  of  the 
Riviera,  rich  in  ultra-violet  rays,  these  children 
were  cured  without  the  use  of  thyroid  preparations. 

In  recording  these  results  Revillet8  also  draws 
attention  to  a  very  interesting  fact,  mentioned  in 
a  report  by  Prof.  Dupasquier,  of  the  University 
of  Lyons.  He  found  at  a  small  place  called  Al- 
levard,  in  the  Alpes  Dauphinoises,  that  on  the 
shady  side  of  a  street  there  were  cases  of  cretinous 
goiter  to  be  found  in  nearly  every  house — the  sun 
never  shone  on  this  side  of  the  street — whereas  no 
such  case  could  be  found  on  the  other  side  of  the 
same  street,  which  was  the  sunny  side.  It  is  a 
fact  that  idiocy  and  cretinous  goiters  are  to  be 
found  with  the  greatest  frequency  in  the  deep,  sun- 
less valleys  of  Switzerland  and  Italy. 

That  the  salutary  results  above  referred  to  are 
brought  about  by  the  ultra-violet  rays  of  the  sun- 
shine is  best  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  artificial 
sunlight,  the  quartz  light  (from  the  large  quartz 
lamp),  which  consists  mainly  of  ultra-violet  rays, 
exercises  a  very  wholesome  influence  upon  the  thy- 


8  Revillet:  Le  myxoedeme  endemique,  La  Province  Medicale,  1911. 

[250] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

roid  gland.  Thus,  Haselberg9  reported  in  a  Swiss 
medical  periodical  that  such  treatment  yielded  ex- 
cellent results  in  a  number  of  girls  and  women 
suffering  from  goiter. 

The  ultra-violet  sun's  rays  exert  a  similar  favor- 
able influence  upon  the  other  endocrin  glands,  in- 
cluding the  sex  glands.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  in  southern  countries,  with  sunshine  rich  in 
ultra-violet  rays,  menstruation  appears  in  young 
girls  much  earlier  than  in  the  north.  The  interest- 
ing fact  has  been  recorded  by  Arctic  travellers 
that  with  the  appearance  of  the  polar  night,  or 
several  weeks  thereafter,  the  Eskimo  women  some- 
times cease  menstruating,  the  function  reappearing 
only  after  the  sun  has  returned. 

A  similar  direct  influence  of  sunlight  rich  in 
ultra-violet  rays  has  been  reported  by  Revillet.  In 
eighteen  young,  anemic  girls  in  whom  menstrua- 
tion had  been  absent  for  several  months  he  ob- 
served reappearance  of  the  same  after  exposure 
for  a  certain  time  to  the  ultra-violet  rays  of  the 
Mediterranean  sun. 

Solar  treatment  is  also  capable  of  giving  the 
best  results  in  the  treatment  of  affections  of  the 
uterus  and  ovaries.  But  this  applies  even  more 
to  the  treatment  with  the  ultra-violet  rays  of  the 
quartz  light.  Indeed,  in  modern  gynecology  such 

9  Haselberg:  Correspondenzblatt  fur  Schweizer  Aerzte,  1911. 

[251] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

treatment  is  availed  of  with  great  profit.  As  the 
results  of  Bach  and  others  have  shown,  such  treat- 
ment is  also  very  efficacious  where  menstruation 
has  been  absent  for  a  long  time  on  account  of 
certain  diseased  conditions. 

On  the  basis  of  the  above  facts  I  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  ultra-violet  rays  serve  as 
activators  of  the  functions  of  the  thyroid  and  sex 
glands. 

According  to  my  observations,  there  exist  also 
a  series  of  symptoms  which  prove  that  the  effects 
obtained  with  the  ultra-violet  rays  are  to  be  at- 
tributed to  stimulation  of  the  endocrin  glands, 
especially  the  sex  and  thyroid  glands.  Not  only 
may,  as  already  mentioned,  exposure  to  the  ultra- 
violet rays  induce  some  of  the  symptoms  which 
Steinach  obtained  through  stimulation  of  the  sex 
glands  by  operation,  but  we  find  appearing  after 
sunlight  treatment,  whether  with  the  artificial  or 
natural  sunlight,  such  symptoms  as  are  known  to 
be  characteristic  of  stimulation  of  thyroid  activity, 
viz.f  increase  of  the  pulse  rate,  temperature,  activ- 
ity of  the  sweat  glands,  and  output  of  urine;  better 
elimination  of  the  urinary  solids,  such  as  urea,  uric 
acid,  sodium  chloride,  etc.,  and  also  an  increase  in 
the  number  of  red  blood  corpuscles  and  in  the 
hemoglobin. 

As  in  the  case  of  thyroid  gland,  these  rays  also 

[  252  ] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

act  very  favorably  upon  the  osseous  system.  They 
assist  in  the  retention  of  lime  in  the  system  if  it 
is  present  in  sufficient  quantities  in  the  food.  The 
best  proof  of  their  influence  upon  the  osseous  sys- 
tem is  afforded  by  the  fact  that  upon  exposure 
to  these  rays  for  a  certain  period  of  time,  ulcera- 
tions  and  all  other  lesions  of  the  bones  are  so  suc- 
cessfully influenced  that  there  is  no  other  treat- 
ment comparable  to  it. 

Likewise  healing  of  wounds  of  the  soft  tissues, 
including  the  formation  of  granulations,  can  be 
promoted  by  these  wonderful  rays  as  though  by 
thyroid  treatment. 

Their  action  upon  the  nervous  system  and  men- 
tality can  also  be  classed  as  nearly  up  to  that  ex- 
erted by  thyroid  gland,  and  when  both  are  used 
together,  they  are  capable  of  producing  these  re- 
sults in  a  still  higher  degree. 

Not  only  the  ultra-violet  rays,  but  also  the  other 
forms  of  radiation,  such  as  the  Roentgen  rays  and 
the  rays  emitted  by  radio-active  substances,  are 
capable  of  exercising  direct  effects  upon  the  sex 
glands  and  the  thyroid. 

The  action  of  the  Roentgen  rays  upon  the  sex 
glands  has  already  been  mentioned.  Radium  also 
exerts  a  direct  effect,  for  it  has  been  found  that 
the  sex  glands  of  animals  exposed  to  such  radia- 
tion show  destructive  effects  and  that  subsequently 

[253] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

sterility  results.  Even  tumors  of  these  glands  can 
be  destroyed  by  these  rays. 

Such  deleterious  effects  of  the  Roentgen  rays 
and  of  the  rays  emitted  by  radio-active  substances 
may  also  be  applied  to  the  thyroid  gland.  This 
fact  is  availed  of  with  success  in  the  treatment  of 
exaggerated  activity  of  this  gland, 

Indeed,  these  rays  seem  to  have  a  kind  of  af- 
finity for  the  parenchymatous  cells  of  the  thyroid 
and  other  glands,  for  while  leaving  the  skin  un- 
harmed, they  act  directly  upon  the  secreting  cells 
of  these  glands,  causing  their  destruction.  In 
Graves's  disease,  therefore — generally  in  its  first 
stages,  when  the  secreting  cells  are  still  hyper- 
trophied — prophylactic  treatment  along  these  lines 
may  give  the  best  results. 

These  effects  are  obtained  with  the  greatest  de- 
gree of  certainty  in  young  girls  and  women  in 
whom  the  disease  is  not  yet  advanced.  Of  course, 
the  treatment  must  be  carried  out  with  great  pru- 
dence, the  object  being  to  cause  the  overdeveloped 
tissues  that  are  the  cause  of  the  exaggerated  ac- 
tivity of  the  gland  to  disappear,  but  to  avoid  undue 
injury  by  destroying  the  whole  gland,  thus  ex- 
posing the  patient  to  the  opposite  condition,  myxe- 
dema.  Therefore,  just  as  with  the  prophylactic 
thyroid  treatment,  merely  the  symptoms  of  hyper- 
thyroidia  should  be  controlled  in  these  cases,  and 

[254] 


Ultra-violet  Rays 

the  treatment  continued  only  as  long  as  such 
symptoms  are  present. 

At  all  events,  in  cases  in  which  the  disease  has 
not  yet  led  to  the  formation  of  much  connective 
tissue,  such  treatment  is  capable  of  giving  the  best 
results  and  is  always  to  be  preferred  to  operation. 

An  American,  Francis  Williams,  of  Boston,  was 
the  first  to  treat  this  disease  with  the  Roentgen 
rays. 

The  x-ray  treatment  also  often  gives  excellent 
results  in  enlargements  of  another  small  gland, 
not  larger  than  a  hazelnut,  which  lies  at  the  base 
of  the  skull,  the  pituitary  gland.  The  resulting 
disease,  acromegaly,  is  characterized  by  enlargement 
of  the  hands,  feet  and  nose  and  by  severe  head- 
ache and  progressive  loss  of  sight. 


[255] 


VI 

PRODUCTION    OF    A    YOUTHFUL    APPEARANCE    BY 
MEANS  OF  THE  ULTRA-VIOLET  RAYS 

IF  we  consider  the  faces  of  the  young  girls  and 
women  of  ancient  Egypt,  painted  on  the  sar- 
cophagi which  contain  their  bodies,  the  nicely 
bronzed  color  of  the  faces  of  these  daughters  of 
sunny  Egypt  is  likely  to  make  a  favorable  appeal 
to  us.  Indeed,  at  the  present  time  there  is  a  craze 
among  the  young  ladies  of  several  countries  of 
northern  Europe  to  expose  their  faces  for  hours 
to  the  direct  action  of  the  sun's  rays  in  order  to 
obtain  such  a  color,  and  in  Paris  I  have  seen  in 
the  windows  of  the  perfumery  shops  powders  of 
a  similar  bronze  color,  intended  for  the  artificial 
imitation  of  this  facial  appearance. 

A  bronze  color  of  the  face  very  often  imparts 
a  more  youthful  aspect,  and  indeed,  it  is  at  the 
same  time  an  expression  of  excellent  health,  ad- 
vertising this  condition  and  from  this  fact  alone 
producing  a  favorable  impression  on  the  observer. 
But  there  exist  also  facts  which  prove  that  it  is 
more  than  a  popular  belief  that  a  sunburnt,  bronze- 
like  color  is  an  evidence  of  good  health,  for  it 
has  been  observed  by  quite  a  number  of  medical 
authorities  that  patients,  e.g.,  tuberculous  subjects, 

[256] 


A  Youthful  Appearance 

who  are  sent  to  countries  rich  in  ultra-violet  rays — 
these  being  the  most  effective  owing  to  their  bac- 
tericidal action — show  the  best  therapeutic  results 
if  they  acquire  a  pigmentation  of  their  faces  from 
the  effects  of  the  sun's  rays.  Now  such  a  pig- 
mentation can  be  best  and  most  rapidly  acquired 
in  the  presence  of  sunlight  rich  in  ultra-violet  rays. 
That  this  is  true  is  best  proved  by  the  fact  that 
the  quartz  light,  which  is  extraordinarily  rich  in 
such  rays,  can  produce  such  pigmentation  in  the 
shortest  time.  It  first  produces  a  hyperemic  con- 
dition of  the  skin,  and  afterwards  there  remains 
a  pigmentation.  I  know  quite  a  number  of  ladies 
who  have  used  the  quartz  light  merely  to  produce 
such  a  condition. 

The  pigmentation  is  best  obtained  when  the  skin 
has  been  gradually  exposed  to  the  sunlight.  If 
the  face  is  abruptly  exposed  for  too  long  a  time 
to  sunlight  rich  in  ultra-violet  rays  or  to  the 
quartz  light,  then  after  the  hyperemic  condition, 
its  higher  degree,  an  erythema,  and  even  an  ac- 
tual inflamed  condition  of  the  skin  may  result.  A 
few  days  later,  however,  the  skin  will  scale  off 
(desquamate)  and  a  healthy  new  skin  with  fine 
complexion  will  appear.  The  same  thing  will  hap- 
pen as  in  cases  of  erysipelas  that  have  healed. 
Young  girls  previously  distressed  on  account  of 
their  swollen  and  inflamed  faces  then  see  appear- 

17  [  257  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

ing  by  way  of  compensation  a  much  finer  skin 
and  fresher  complexion  than  they  had  ever  had 
before;  indeed,  they  often  look  much  younger. 

Such  treatment  also  gives  excellent  results  in 
the  case  of  various  blemishes  of  the  skin  of  the 
face  such  as  pimples,  redness  of  the  face  and 
especially  the  nose,  exaggerated  sebaceous  secre- 
tion, etc. 

Since  at  the  same  time,  as  the  hyperemia  shows, 
the  skin  is  being  better  nourished  with  blood, 
sunken  features  are  benefited  by  this  treatment, 
and  the  cheeks,  better  supplied  with  blood,  look 
fuller  and  rounder,  such  a  condition  frequently 
resulting  as  if  arsenic  had  been  taken  for  beauti- 
fying purposes. 

Rejuvenation  by  the  ultra-violet  rays  can  thus 
be  produced  both  by  the  internal  and  the  external. 
i.e.,  cosmetic,  action  of  these  rays. 

But  their  internal  action  also  has  marked  cos- 
metic results.  Acting  like  treatment  through  the 
thyroid  and  sex  glands,  or  better,  through  stimu- 
lation of  these  glands,  which  govern  the  processes 
of  general  nutrition  and  organic  combustion,  the 
appetite  is  much  increased,  and  through  the  con- 
sentaneous improvement  of  digestion  and  assimi- 
lation, the  muscles  become  better  developed  and  a 
full,  round  face  and  round  limbs  will  result,  con- 
stituting a  picture  of  youth  and  health  similar  to 

[258] 


A  Youthful  Appearance 

that  presented  by  the  young  girls  and  boys  who 
had  been  admitted  several  months  before  as  ca- 
chectic skeletons,  with  prematurely  old  faces,  for 
sunlight  treatment  at  the  sanatoriums  of  the  high 
mountain  stations  in  Switzerland  or  on  the  Riviera. 

As  in  the  case  of  treatment  with  thyroid  and 
and  sex  glands,  the  fat  is  better  burned  under 
the  influence  of  the  ultra-violet  rays.  Thus,  we 
observe  both  after  treatment  by  natural  sunlight 
in  regions  with  an  abundance  of  ultra-violet  rays, 
and  after  treatment  by  the  quartz  light,  a  con- 
siderable loss  of  weight,  stout  women  and  men 
becoming  transformed  into  persons  with  a  more 
youthful  appearance.  On  the  other  hand,  under 
such  treatment  thin,  skinny  bodies  develop  rounder 
forms. 

After  natural  or  artificial  sun  treatment  (by  the 
ultra-violet  rays,  which  do  not  contain  the  ener- 
vating heat  rays),  the  muscular  agility  likewise 
being  greater,  the  patient  enjoys  a  better  appe- 
tite, and  in  consequence  of  the  better  feeding  de- 
velopment of  the  muscles  and  an  increase  of  weight 
take  place. 

I  would  like  to  recall  here  the  fact  that  Steinach 
observed  like  results  after  the  operation  on  his  old 
rats,  which,  while  quite  lacking  in  appetite  before 
the  operation,  developed  a  voracious  appetite  after 
it,  with  such  effect  that  at  their  autopsy  he  found 

[259] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

a  striking  development  of  the  muscles  and  a 
marked  increase  of  the  fatty  layers. 

The  favorable  influence  of  these  rays  upon  the 
osseous  system  may,  in  common  with  thyroid  treat- 
ment, lead  to  a  better  growth  of  the  bony  skeleton. 
But  it  also  exerts  a  favorable  influence  upon  the 
condition  of  the  teeth.  A  youthful  appearance 
depends  to  a  marked  extent  upon  a  good  condition 
of  these  structures.  The  greatest  cause  of  loss  of 
the  teeth  is  pyorrhea.  Now  I  have  found  that  by 
exposing  the  gums  daily  for  a  certain  period  to 
the  quartz  light  or  to  the  direct  rays  of  a  pure, 
intense  sunshine,  this  condition  can  be  very  much 
improved  or  at  least  checked.  A  very  efficacious 
treatment  against  this  condition  is  also  the  appli- 
cation of  fluids  containing  the  emanations  of  radio- 
active substances. 

Thus,  not  alone  the  ultra-violet  rays,  but  also 
other  kinds  of  rays  are  capable  of  yielding  cos- 
metic results. 

The  condition  of  the  hair  can  be  improved  not 
only  with  the  ultra-violet  rays  but  also  with  the 
Roentgen  rays.  These  must,  however,  be  used  with 
extreme  caution,  only  the  very  soft  rays,  which 
are  less  penetrating,  being  employed.  In  cases 
where  the  ultra-violet  rays  exert  no  effect,  such 
rays  may  yield  results.  But  great  caution  is  then 
necessary,  for  not  only  might  the  hair  that  has 

[260] 


A  Youthful  Appearance 

fallen  out  never  grow  again,  but  even  the  hair 
that  still  remains  might  be  destroyed,  never  to 
return. 

The  radiations  from  radio-active  substances  may 
also  yield  very  good  results  for  falling  out  of  the 
hair  and  for  the  growth  of  new  hair. 

Under  their  influences,  it  has  been  found,  the 
thickness  of  each  individual  hair  becomes  greater, 
and  the  hair  gets  stronger  and  longer,  and  gen- 
erally grows  better. 

The  rays  cause  a  kind  of  inflammatory  hyper- 
emia  of  the  root  of  the  hair,  thus  producing  better 
growth — a  fact  demonstrated  by  Werner.10 

Thus  we  see  that  each  of  these  three  kinds  of 
rays  may  give  good  results  in  the  production  of 
rejuvenation.  Indeed,  these  rays,  in  respect  to 
their  more  intimate  constitution,  are  closely  related 
as  to  wave  length,  though  their  powers  of  pene- 
tration present  certain  differences.  After  the 
luminous  rays  of  the  solar  spectrum  follow  the 
ultra-violet  rays,  which — especially  the  extreme 
ultra-violet  rays — have  the  shortest  wave  lengths, 
i.e.,  0.02  p.  The  spectrum  of  the  x-rays  could  be 
united  to  these  extreme  ultra-violet  rays  if  by  some 
means  the  wave  length  of  the  very  soft  x-rays 
(rays  of  lesser  penetrating  power,  the  wave  length 

10  Werner:  Zur  biologischen  Wirkung  der  Radiumstrahlen,  Munch. 
Med.  Wochenschrift,  No.  37,  1919. 

[  261  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

of  which  is  0.0175^)  could  be  prolonged  and  a 
missing  link  thus  discovered. 

The  ultra-violet  rays  have  no  great  penetrating 
power,  as  is  generally  maintained.  They  are  sup- 
posed not  to  get  much  farther  than  into  the  skin, 
but  according  to  Rollier  they  are  transformed 
after  their  penetration  into  the  body  into  long  rays, 
which  are  able  to  penetrate  further.  At  any  rate, 
these  rays  certainly  exert  a  marked  action  in  the 
interior  of  the  body,  as  is  shown  by  the  pronounced 
effects  they  produce. 

The  radiations  from  radio-active  substances  pos- 
sess the  greatest  power  of  penetration.  Thus,  the 
x-rays  have  such  enormous  penetrating  power  that 
they  can  pass  through  lead  plates  nine  inches  thick. 

We  have  already  mentioned  the  extraordinary 
number  of  vibrations  of  the  ultra-violet  rays.  But 
these  are  far  surpassed  in  frequency  and  rapidity 
by  the  x-rays  and  the  radiations  from  radio-active 
substances.  The  particles  of  which  these  consist— 
the  electrons — travelling  at  an  incredible  speed, 
carry  out  a  veritable  bombardment  upon  our  body, 
and  we  are  thus  led  to  understand  the  marked  ef- 
fects they  may  produce. 

The  ultra-violet  rays  may  produce  only  a  red- 
dening of  the  skin,  but  if  they  act  from  only  a 
short  distance  for  a  certain  period  of  time,  a  mild 
inflammation  results. 

[262  ] 


A  Youthful  Appearance 

In  order  to  study  the  effects  of  these  rays,  I 
have  subjected  myself  to  a  number  of  sittings, 
and  upon  exposing  my  head  very  close  to  the 
glowing  column  of  mercury  vapor  in  the  quartz 
light  for  about  ten  to  twelve  minutes  I  experienced 
a  burn  of  the  scalp,  followed  by  crust  formation. 
After  a  few  days,  however,  these  crusts  fell  off 
and  not  the  least  scar  remained. 

As  a  rule  burns  from  the  ultra-violet  rays  cause 
no  scarring,  but  the  same  certainly  cannot  be  said 
of  the  after  effects  of  the  x-rays  or  radium  and 
its  derivatives,  for  these  are  capable  of  producing 
serious  burns  and  inflammatory  conditions — even 
ulcerations — of  the  skin,  with  subsequent  formation 
of  disfiguring  scars,  unless  the  greatest  precautions 
are  taken  and  treatment  given  only  by  specialists. 

It  seems,  at  least  in  the  case  of  radium,  that  the 
skin  of  women,  and  especially  of  fair  haired  ones, 
is  far  more  sensitive  to  these  rays  than  that  of 
others.  At  any  rate,  for  cosmetic  purposes,  for 
producing  a  youthful  appearance  of  the  face  and 
in  general  for  the  purposes  of  rejuvenation,  I 
prefer  the  ultra-violet  rays  to  the  other  rays. 

Radium  may  likewise  give  good  results,  however, 
if  it  is  employed  not  in  substance,  as  pure  radium 
or  its  salts,  but  in  the  form  of  a  gaseous  product 
or  emanation,  such  as  is  contained  in  certain 
markedly  radio-active  mineral  waters. 

[263] 


VII 

REJUVENATION   BY   THE   USE   OF   RADIUM   BATHS   AND 
MUD   BATHS 

DADIUM  can  rightly  be  considered  as  a  sym- 
bol of  eternal  youth.  For  it  is  constantly 
giving  off  energy,  yet  remains  apparently  un- 
changed all  the  time. 

In  the  earliest  periods  after  the  discovery  of 
the  radium,  this  strange  fact  created  a  great  sen- 
sation among  the  scientists,  for  it  seemed  to  con- 
tradict the  natural  law  of  the  conservation  of 
energy,  well  established  by  Robert  Mayer,  whose 
sad  fate  was  mentioned  in  the  first  part  of  this 
book.  This  mystery  was  solved,  however,  when  it 
was  detected  that  there  is  in  reality  even  in  this 
case  no  exception  to  the  general  law,  for  even  if 
slowly  and  almost  imperceptibly,  radium  in  the 
long  run  dissipates  some  of  the  energy  which  had 
been  stored  up  in  the  interior  of  its  constituent 
atoms. 

Whereas  this  property  of  radium  in  itself  sug- 
gests to  us  its  use  as  a  weapon  with  which  to 
combat  old  age,  there  is  another  of  its  properties 
which  makes  it  especially  suitable  as  a  means  for 
rejuvenation. 

[264] 


Radium  Baths  and  Mud  Baths 

As  previously  mentioned,  it  exerts  a  direct  ac- 
tion upon  the  sex  glands — a  fact  established  by 
experiments  upon  animals,  radium  producing,  if 
applied  in  a  certain  strength,  destruction  of  the 
seminiferous  cells  and  sterility  in  consequence. 
Judging  from  the  effects  of  the  x-rays,  stimulation 
and  hypertrophy  of  the  internally  secreting  portion 
will  most  probably  occur  likewise  after  radium. 

Being  averse  to  the  employment  of  violent 
measures  as  long  as  there  are  milder  and  very 
efficacious  ones  at  our  disposal,  I  rather  advocate 
the  use  of  the  radium  emanations  for  our  purpose. 
Their  marked  influence  upon  the  ductless  glands 
had  already  been  shown  years  ago  through  the  ex- 
periments of  Bouchard  and  Balthazard.11  These 
investigators  injected  fluids  containing  radium 
emanations  into  animals,  and  at  the  autopsy  these 
emanations  were  found  to  have  accumulated  in  the 
ductless  glands,  especially  the  adrenals  and  the 
spleen.  They  lay  special  stress  upon  the  preference 
shown  by  the  emanations  for  these  glands,  i.e.,  the 
internally  secreting  glands. 

The  emanations  are  the  result  of  spontaneous 
decomposition  of  radium  substances,  forming  a 
gaseous  product  which  occurs  in  most  mineral 
waters.  It  is  thus  a  product  of  the  transforma- 

11  Bouchard  and   Balthazard:  Comptes-Rendus  de  la   Societe  de 
Biologic,  Vol.  143. 

[  265  ] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

tion  of  radium,  and  of  course  possesses  radio-active 
properties,  giving  off  certain  radiations  continu- 
ally, viz.f  the  gamma  rays. 

This  gaseous  product,  resulting  from  the  trans- 
formation of  radium,  is  contained  in  considerable 
quantities  in  some  mineral  waters,  and  in  small 
quantities  in  almost  all  of  them.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  but  that  a  good  many  of  the  actions 
ascribed  to  mineral  waters  are  actually  to  be  at- 
tributed to  the  emanation  they  contain,  especially 
in  the  case  of  such  mineral  springs  as  are  very 
slightly  mineralized.  Sometimes  there  are  found 
springs  which  contain  scarcely  any  mineral  matter, 
e.g.,  only  a  little  iron  and  lithium,  and  yet  they 
prove  very  active.  In  such  cases  the  effects  pro- 
duced may  be  ascribed  to  their  high  radio-activity, 
on  account  of  the  rather  large  quantities  of 
emanations  they  contain. 

Such  springs  are,  e.g.,  those  of  Joachimsthal 
(St.  Jachymow,  in  the  Czech  language)  in  Bo- 
hemia, Czecho- Slovakia,  and  those  of  Gastein,  Aus- 
tria, and  a  spring  called  Urgeirica,  in  Nellas, 
Portugal. 

Of  all  the  springs  of  the  world,  those  of 
Joachimsthal  and  of  Nellas  are  probably  the  rich- 
est in  emanations,  for  these  springs  originate  in 
mines  of  uranium  metal,  which  yield  radium  in 
considerable  quantities.  It  is  in  the  uranium  pitch- 

[266] 


Radium  Baths  and  Mud  Baths 

blende  of  Joachimsthal  that  Mme.  Curie  discovered 
radium,  thus  perpetuating  her  name  forevermore. 

It  was  observed  a  long  time  ago  that  persons 
taking  the  baths  at  Gastein  often  looked  younger, 
more  vigorous,  and  fresher  after  their  cure  than 
before.  Indeed,  this  place  was  considered  a  spe- 
cial spa  for  gouty  and  rheumatic  persons  of  ad- 
vanced age.  When  the  radio-active  properties  of 
these  springs  were  demonstrated,  a  clue  was  given 
to  the  special  action  of  the  water.  In  a  higher 
degree,  like  things  have  been  stated  regarding  the 
action  of  the  springs  of  Joachimsthal — after  they 
had  begun  to  be  used  for  therapeutic  purposes, 
this  spa  having  been  erected  scarcely  more  than 
twenty  years  ago. 

Steinach,  in  his  monograph,  draws  special  atten- 
tion to  the  rejuvenating  effects  of  Joachimsthal 
and  Gastein,  ascribing  them  to  the  special  action 
of  these  springs  upon  the  sex  glands.  I  can  en- 
tirely subscribe  to  this  opinion  on  the  basis  of 
personal  observations,  Joachimsthal  being  in  the 
close  vicinity  of  Carlsbad. 

Among  the  cases  treated  with  these  springs, 
which  I  often  prescribe  in  cases  of  gout  and  rheu- 
matism as  an  aftercure  to  Carlsbad,  I  would  like 
to  mention  the  case  of  a  Belgian  gentleman  seventy- 
six  years  of  age,  who  was  suffering  from  arterio- 
sclerosis, gout,  and  marked  muscular  weakness. 

[267] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

After  a  few  weeks'  cure  in  Carlsbad  I  sent  him 
to  Joachimsthal  to  consolidate  the  results  already 
obtained.  When  I  visited  him  there  two  weeks 
later  he  accompanied  me  to  my  train  and  as  I 
was  in  danger  of  missing  it,  this  old  gentleman 
to  my  great  amazement  ran  swiftly  up  the  high, 
steep  hill  before  coming  to  the  station,  and  strange 
to  say,  he  was  apparently  not  much  the  worse 
for  it. 

I  was  also  able  to  make  similar  observations  on 
myself. 

In  order  to  study  the  effects  of  these  baths, 
and  having  much  leisure  in  the  summer  fol- 
lowing the  war,  I  frequently  went  over  to  the 
neighboring  Joachimsthal,  walking  a  little  over  two 
miles  from  my  house  to  the  station.  I  noticed 
that  after  taking  these  baths  my  muscular  agility 
was  much  improved,  and  I  could  walk  much  more 
easily  and  swiftly  and  with  a  much  lighter  step 
to  my  home  than  on  the  way  to  the  station.  I 
was  using  thyroid  extract  at  the  same  time,  as 
was  also  the  above  mentioned  patient. 

The  rejuvenating  effects  of  the  radium  bath  can 
no  doubt  with  full  justification  be  ascribed  to  their 
special  effects  upon  the  endocrin  glands,  particu- 
larly the  sex  glands  and  in  my  opinion  also  the 
thyroid  gland.  Increase  of  sexual  desire  and  po- 
tency after  the  use  of  these  baths  has  been  noted 

[268] 


Radium  Baths  and  Mud  Baths 

by  several  authorities.  Sommer12  reported  an  in- 
crease of  sexual  desire  in  a  monograph  on  radium 
and  radio-activity.  Waldes13  made  the  same  ob- 
servation in  diabetics  after  the  use  of  baths  con- 
taining a  large  amount  of  emanations.  Gottlieb14 
records  an  improvement  of  potency  in  neurasthenic 
patients  after  the  baths  of  Joachimsthal. 

The  effects  on  the  thyroid  gland  are  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  after  the  use  of  radium  emana- 
tions, as  has  been  demonstrated  experimentally, 
there  follows  an  increase  of  the  processes  of  oxida- 
tion, a  rise  of  temperature,  and  a  number  of 
other  evidences  of  increased  activity  of  the  thyroid 
gland.  Increased  elimination  of  uric  acid  is  one 
of  these,  and  the  same  effect  can  be  produced  by 
giving  thyroid  extracts. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  uric  acid  plays  an  im- 
portant role  in  the  production  of  old  age,  pre- 
mature old  age  often  resulting  in  this  way, 
according  to  my  recent  observations.  With  an 
increased  content  in  uric  acid  of  the  blood  there 
is  almost  constantly  an  elevation  of  blood  pressure, 
and  with  it  a  long  step  forward  is  taken  toward 
the  development  of  arteriosclerosis.  The  findings 


12  Sommer :  Radium  und  Radioactivitat  bei  Altersschwache.    Emana- 
tion und  Emanationstherapie,  Miinchen,  1908. 

13  Walder:  Radiumemanation  als  Heilmittel,  Dissertation,  Zurich, 
1909. 

14  Gottlieb:  Wiener  med.  Woch.,  1910. 


[269] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

of  Prof.  Hiss15  show  clearly  that  through  the  use 
of  radium  emanations  the  blood  entirely  loses  its 
content  of  uric  acid,  and  the  patient  feels,  as  he 
says,  "born  all  over  again!"  This  explains  the 
excellent  effects  of  these  emanations  in  gout  and 
rheumatic  disturbances. 

As  with  thyroid  treatment,  the  use  of  radium 
baths  is  followed  by  a  marked  increase  in  the  out- 
put of  urine,  and  in  addition  uric  acid  and  sodium 
chloride  are  eliminated  in  larger  quantities — a  fact 
of  great  importance  in  diseases  of  the  kidneys.  I 
would  personally  not  advocate  the  use  of  such 
baths  in  the  latter  disease,  however,  for  such 
emanations  have  been  found  to  act  very  unfavor- 
ably in  renal  disease,  increasing  the  albumin  con- 
tent of  the  urine. 

Radium  baths  also  have  a  marked  influence  upon 
the  blood  pressure,  and  a  considerable  drop  from 
a  high  blood  pressure  can  often  be  observed  after 
their  use. 

Upon  combining  the  radium  baths  with  gland 
treatment  the  results  obtained  are  more  satisfac- 
tory, as  I  was  able  to  observe  in  several  personal 
cases. 

Similar  effects  can  also  be  obtained  with  mud 
baths.  There  have  been  published  a  series  of  com- 
munications demonstrating  a  drop  of  the  high 

15  Hiss:  Berl.  klin.  Woch.,  1910;  Med.  Klinik,  1910-16. 

[270] 


Radium  Baths  and  Mud  Baths 

blood  pressure  following  the  use  of  mud  baths,  pro- 
vided too  high  a  degree  of  heat  was  not  applied. 

These  baths  contain  iron  compounds  and  other 
mineral  substances,  and  also  the  shrunken  remains 
of  plants  and  animals  that  lived  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  years  ago.  Some  of  the  most  active  of 
this  muddy  earth  is  found  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Franzensbad  in  Bohemia,  a  spa  used  mainly  for 
the  disorders  of  women  and  having  a  special  effect 
upon  disturbances  of  the  ovaries  and  uterus,  and 
also,  according  to  my  observations,  on  the  prostate. 
The  same  mud,  transported  to  the  two  other  spas 
in  the  neighborhood — Marienbad  and  Carlsbad- 
is  used  there  also  in  the  form  of  baths. 

These  baths  produce  effects  which,  although  not 
equalling  those  of  Joachimsthal,  may  nevertheless 
be  considered  as  approaching  those  obtained  there. 
Very  probably  also  the  mud  obtained  from  a  place 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Joachimsthal  embodies 
radio-active  properties.  It  seems  to  have  special 
stimulating  effects  upon  the  sex  glands,  owing  to 
its  content  of  iron. 

I  have  often  observed,  especially  in  women,  a 
rejuvenating  effect  following  the  use  of  these  mud 
baths.  They  also  impart  marked  vigor  to  the  mus- 
cles, but  only  if  excessive  heat  in  their  use  is  avoided, 
for  where  employed  too  hot  they  may,  on  the  con- 
trary, induce  a  sensation  of  great  fatigue.  With  ex- 

[271] 


Life  Shortening  Habits 

cessively  hot  baths,  too,  the  radio-active  properties 
are  lost. 

It  has  often  been  noted  that  women  using  such 
baths  look  much  fresher  and  become  more  slender, 
the  baths  producing  a  considerable  loss  of  fat,  like 
thyroid  treatment.  At  the  same  time  there  is  a 
very  marked  effect  upon  the  functions  of  the  ova- 
ries, menstruation  reappearing  sometimes  after  an 
interval  of  months.  They  have  been  used  since  a 
long  time  as  one  of  the  most  efficacious  measures 
against  sterility  in  women. 

These  baths  also  have  a  marked  effect  on  sexual 
impotence  in  men.  They  likewise  increase  the 
sexual  desire,  but  only  if  they  are  not  applied  at 
a  high  temperature,  otherwise  the  contrary  effect 
may  result.  They  produce  hyperemia  in  the  pelvic 
organs,  and  it  is  probably  on  account  of  the  im- 
proved blood  supply  to  these  organs  and  also  to 
the  tonic  effects  of  the  baths  (if  used  at  a  mod- 
erate temperature)  upon  the  nervous  system,  that 
a  decided  improvement  of  the  functions  of  the 
male  as  well  as  the  female  sexual  glands  can  be 
observed  after  their  use.  The  rejuvenating  ef- 
fects are  the  consequence  of  their  stimulating  ac- 
tion upon  these  functions. 

I  hope  that  in  these  lines  on  rejuvenation  I 
have  succeeded  in  showing  that  our  therapeutic 
arsenal  is  not  lacking  in  means  for  bringing  about 

[  272  ] 


Radium  Baths  and  Mud  Baths 

rejuvenation  without  having  recourse  to  forcible 
measures  such  as  surgical  operations  or  other  vio- 
lent agencies.  Here  and  elsewhere,  in  all  our 
therapeutic  activities,  the  main  rule  should  be  to 
give  preference  and  first  trial  to  the  milder  and 
more  harmless  methods.  There  is  a  Latin  proverb 
which  says:  "Quid  quid  agis  prudenter  agas,  et 
respice  finem" — "whatever  you  do,  do  it  prudently, 
and  reflect  upon  the  possible  consequences." 


18 


[273] 


INDEX 


Ablutions,  ritual,  61 

Abortion,  serious  consequences  of, 

127 
Acromegaly,  91 

x-ray  treatment  in,  255 
Adrenals,   effect  of   radium  ema- 
nations on,  265 
Age,     relationship     of    overeating 

to,  29 

Ageing  of  women,  rapid,  143 
Airing  of  rooms,  65 
Albuminous  food,  25,  26,  157,  163 
Alcohol,  11 

effects  of,  on  blood-vessels,  18 
on  endocrin  glands,  15,  16,  17 
on  kidneys,  18 
on  liver,  15 
Ambition,  68 
Anemia,  164 
arsenic  in,  230 
in  girls,  126 
Anger,  95 

as  cause  of  angina  pectoris,  96 
of  apoplexy,  95 
of    arteriosclerosis    of    brain, 

96 

of  diabetes,  98 
of  gall-stone  attacks,  99 
of  gouty  attacks,  99 
of  nervous  disturbances,  96 
as  sign  of  disease,  97 
Angina   pectoris,   anger   as    factor 

in,  96 

overeating  as  cause  of,  28 
tobacco  abuse  as  cause  of,  36 
Animal    extracts    in    rejuvenation, 
196,  212,  240,  249 


Animals,  sacrifices  for  the  young 
among,  134 

Anthokyan,  105 

Anticonceptional   practices,    179 
arteriosclerosis  due  to,  183 
rapid  ageing  due  to,  179 

Apathy  in  thyroid  disease,  151 

Apoplexy,  37,  71 
following  anger,  95 

Appetite,  poor,  in  smokers,  157 

Aranea  saccata,  134 

Arsenic  eaters  of  Styria,  228 
for  rejuvenation,  223,  228 

Arteriosclerosis,  18,  26,  28,  29,  32, 
35,  44,  69,  96,  122,  154,  183, 
213,  269 

relationship  to  stinginess,  89 
sudden  death  due  to,  48 
treatment    of,    by    iodides,    224, 
230 

Artificial  sunlight,  237 

Ascites  from  abuse  of  alcohol,  15 

Avarice,  84 

life-shortening  effects  of,  86 
relationship  of,  to  physical   dis- 
turbances, 91 

Avoidance  of  parenthood,  115 

Balaninus  elephas,  135 

Baldness    due    to   lack    of   potash, 

165 

ultra-violet  rays  in,  241 
Bees,  cleanliness  of,  65 
Beethoven,  poverty  of,  83 
Beggars    in    Morocco    and    Spain, 

92 
Beneficence,  92 


[275] 


Index 


Bergonie  treatment,  160 

Beriberi,  165 

Bird   of   Paradise,  nuptial   dance 
of,  102 

Birds,  cleanliness  of,  65 
marital  union  among,  119 
singing  of,  102 

Blood,   effects   of    sunlight   treat- 
ment on,  244,  252 
viscosity  of,  26,  231 

Blood-pressure,  high,  69,  96,  237, 
269,  270 

Boils,  62,  63 

Bones,  effect  of  ultra-violet  rays 
on,  253,  260 

Bowel    action    improved    by    thy- 
roid medication,  213 

Bradycardia,    thyroid    medication 
in,  213 

Brain,  arteriosclerosis  of,  factors 
favoring,  37,  71,  96 

Brain   vessels,    congestion    of,    in 
anger,  95 

Bran,  167 

Brown-Sequard's  experiments, 
197 

Buddha,  teachings  of,  78,  81 

Carbon      monoxide      in     tobacco 

smoke,   40 

Celibacy,   harmful  effects  of,  121 
Cellulitis,  63 
Charity,  92 
favorable    physiological    effects 

of,  93 

Children,  advantages  of  an  abun- 
dance of,  130,  141 
hand  washing  among,  63 
harmful   effects    of   alcohol    in, 

13,  14,  19 
of  smoking  in,  39 
Chlorosis,  164 
Cholera,  transmission  of,  60 


Cigarette  smoking  by  women,  147, 

156 

Cigars,  155 
Cleanliness  among  animals,  64 

of  the  hog,  59 
Cold,  sensitiveness  to,  151 
Colors  as  sex  attraction,  103 
Complexion,  effects  of  ultra-violet 

rays  on,  258 
poor,  due  to  constipation,    170, 

175 

due  to  improper  diet,  166 
due      to      insufficient      water 

drinking,    169 
due   to    ovarian    and    uterine 

disorders,  181 

Conservation  of  species,  118 
Conspicuous  dressing,  106 
Constipation,  173 
and  gall-stones,  169 
diet  in,  173 
Corset,  effects  of,  109 
Cosmetics,  176 

fallacy  of,  176 
Cretinism,  thyroid   medication  in, 

17 

Cretinous  goiter,  250 
Crime  and  insanity,  50 
Cysts  of  the  uterine   cervix,   184 

Damp  dwellings,  87 
Davy,  Sir  Humphrey,  72 
Defective  children  from  inherited 

syphilis,  49 
Delire  de  ruine,  90 
Diabetes,  28,  50,  90 

arteriosclerosis  in,  90 

caused  by  mental  shock,  98 

iodine  in,  91 

Dictyophora  phalloidea,  105 
Diet,    improperly    constituted,    163 

in  constipation,  173 

in  obesity,  160 


[276] 


Index 


Digestive  disturbances  due  to  in- 
sufficient water  drinking, 
168 

Diseases  of  women,  124 

Disposition,  change  of,  after 
thyroid  and  sex  gland 
treatment,  218 

Dizziness  due  to  smoking,  38 

Don  Juan  as  a  voluptuary,  54 

Drug  treatment  of  old  age,  212, 
223 

Ductless  glands,   effects  of  noxi- 
ous agents  on,  197 
effects  of  smoking  on,  40 

Dysentery,  transmission  of,  60 

Earthworm,  value  of  the,  140 

Emaciation  due  to  hair  dye,  111, 
112 

Endocrin  glands,  40,  197,  199 

Enemas,  172,  174 

Energy,  law  of  conservation  of, 
23,  75 

Engine,  the  body  compared  to  an, 
22 

Enterocleaner,  172 

Epilepsy  due  to  alcoholic  inherit- 
ance, 20 

Erysipelas,  62 

Excessive  acidity  of  gastric  juice 
due  to  sexual  restraint,  121 

Experimental  rejuvenation,  201 

Faraday,  72 

Fat  as  fuel  in  the  body,  25 

reduction  of,  159,  213,  240,  259 
Fat-forming  foods,  160 
Fecundity  of  animals,  161 
Feet,  washing  of  the,  64 
Fertilizing  insects,  104 
Fishes,  brilliant  coloring  of,  120 
Fitness  for  marriage,  125,  187 

for  smoking,  37 


Flabby  musculature  due  to  smok- 
ing, 148 

Flies,  65 

Fluid  intake,  insufficient,  168 

Food  material,  three  kinds  of,  23 

Foods,  fat-forming,  160 

Franzensbad  mud  baths,  271 

French  Canadians,  large  families 
among,  130 

Frigidity,  sexual,  215 

Fruits  rich  in  potash,  165 

Furuncles,  62 

Gall-stone  attacks  brought  on  by 

anger,  99 

Gall-stones,  110,  151 
frequency    of,    among    lawyers, 

100 

in  thyroid  disturbance,  151 
insufficient  fluid  intake  as  cause 

of,  169 

Galvagni's  frog  experiment,  76 
Gamblers,    sudden    death    among, 

41 

Gamma  rays,  266 
Gastein  mineral  springs,  267 
Gastric  disturbances  due  to  sex- 
ual restraint,  121 
Geniuses,  short  life  among,  70 
Girls,  smoking  by,  39 
Gluttony,  30 
Glycogen,  24 
Goiter,  19,  149 
quartz  light  in,  251 
sunlight  and  gland  treatment  in, 

249 
Golden  scarabaeus,  nuptial  habits 

of,  116 

Gonorrhea,  44,  124 
Gout,  27,  28,  30,  50,  99,  267,  270 
Graves's  disease,  x-rays  in,  254 
Gray  hair  in  thyroid  failure,  150 
Greed,  85 


[277] 


Index 


Hair  dyes,  harmful  effects  of,  110 
effect  of  Roentgen  rays  on,  260 

of  ultra-violet  rays  on,  260 
new  growth  of,  after  operation 

on  seminal  duct,  210 
under  arsenic  medication,  229 
under  thyroid  medication,  214 
under  ultra-violet  rays,  241 
Hands,  contamination  of,  60 

washing  of,  61,  62 
Hard  labor,  126 
Hardened  arteries  in  young  men, 

155 

Headache  due  to  smoking,  38 
Heart  disease,  diet  in,  166 
effects  of  alcoholism  on,  18 

of  heavy  smoking  on,  35,  36 
symptoms  due  to  improper  diet, 

166 

weakness  from  underfeeding,  86 
Heliotherapy,  238,  241,  252 
Hemorrhages  from  uterus,  128 
High  blood-pressure,  69,  96,  269, 

270 
reduction     of,     by     ultra-violet 

rays,  237 
Honey  as  remedy  for  weak  heart, 

24 
Housefly,    maternal    care    in    the, 

134 

Hysteria  due  to  alcoholic  inherit- 
ance, 20 

Impotence,  44,   121,  152,  203,  209, 
240,  272 

Idiocy,  17,  20 
psychic,  215 

Impracticality  of   great   discover- 
ers and  inventors,  72 

Infectious    diseases,    impaired    re- 
sisting power  to,  18,  47,  86 

Insanity  the  result  of  syphilis,  45 

Insects,  nuptial  habits  among,  115 

Insomnia  due  to  smoking,  147 


Insomnia  in  women,  128 

Interruption  of  sexual  act,  121 

Intestinal   disorders   due   to   lead, 
178 

Iodides  for  rejuvenation,  223 
in  arteriosclerosis,  224 
in  syphilis,  228 

Iodine  in  treatment  of  the  arterio- 
sclerosis of  diabetics,  91 

lodism,  227 

Iron,  161,  164 
for  rejuvenation,  223 

Irrational   eating   by    women   and 
girls,  163 

Irregular     pulse,     unfitness     for 
smoking  in,  37 

Jaundice  after  a  fit  of  temper,  99 
Jawbone,  absorption  of,  163 
Joachimsthal  mineral  springs,  267 
physiologic  effects  of,  267,  268 

Kidney     disease,     overeating     as 

cause   of,  28 
function    improved    by    thyroid 

medication,  213 

Kidneys,  effects  of  alcohol  on,  18 
Killing  animals,  80,  81 

Lactation,  186 

Lassitude  due  to  poorly  balanced 

diet,  166 

in  thyroid  insufficiency,  150 
removal  of,  by  iodides,  228 
by  thyroid  medication,  213 
by  ultra-violet  rays,  238,  245 
Lead   as  ingredient   of   cosmetics, 

178 

harmful  effects  of,  110,  111 
Lean  days,  31 
Leydig,  cells  of,  204 
Liberality  of  talented  persons,  91 

of  youth,  89 
Life-shortening  habits,  11 


[278] 


Index 


Lime,  need  of,  in  the  diet,  163 
Lions,  marital  union  in,  119 
Lipoids,  161 
Liver  disease,  overeating  as  cause 

of,  28 

disturbances  due  to  lead,  178 
effects  of  alcohol  on,  15 
of  tight  lacing  on,  109 
Locomotor  ataxia,  36,  45 
Loss   of   hair   in  thyroid    failure, 

150 
Lutein  cells  of  the  ovaries,  216 

Marital  union  among  animals,  119 
Marriage  among  relatives,  49 
Married    life,    health    advantages 

of,  130 

Maternal  love  among  animals,  133 
Mayer,  Robert,  origin  of  insanity 

of,  75 

Meat,  overeating  of,  27,  28,  32 
Memory  impairment  due  to  smok- 
ing, 38 

in  thyroid  insufficiency,  150 
improvement  of,  after  operation 

on  seminal  duct,  210,  217 
by  thyroid  medication,  217 
Meningitis,  62 
Menopause,  149,  152 
Menstruation,  cessation  of,  due  to 

insufficient  nutriment,  162 
effect    of    gland    treatment    on, 

216 

of  mud  baths  on,  272 
of  ultra-violet  rays  on,  251 
irregular,    in    thyroid    insuffici- 
ency, 150 

swelling  of  thyroid  during,  149 
Mental  condition,  effect  of  sun- 
shine on,  234 
of  ultra-violet  rays  on,  246, 

253 

Mental  disturbances  due  to  lead, 
111 


Mental  disturbances  in  the  off- 
spring of  alcoholics,  20 
effect    of    ultra-violet    rays    on, 

246,  253 
effect  of  sunshine  on,  234 

labor  and  smoking,  38,  39 
Mercury,  rejuvenating  effects  of, 

229 

vapor  lamps,  263 
Milk,  lime  in,  164 

potash  compounds  in,  165 
Mineral  waters,   radio-active,  266 
Miscarriages,  124,  126 
Miserliness,  85 

Misfortune    as    result    of    impru- 
dence, 51 

Mohammed,  teachings  of,  61,  92 
Monogamy,  58 
Moses,  teachings  of,  61,  92 
Mountain  flowers,  coloring  of,  104 
Mountains,   sunlight   treatment  in 

the,  242 
Mozart,  83 
Mud  baths,  270 

rejuvenating  effects  of,  271 
Murder   of    the   offspring   among 

animals,  132 
Muscles,  glycogen  in,  24 
Mushrooms  glowing  at  night,  105 
odor  of,  attracting  insects,   105 
Myxedema,  150,  195,  196 
ultra-violet  rays  in,  250 

Nature,    apparent    cruelty    of    52, 

118,  136 

foresight  of,   43,   52,    104,    138, 
170 

Nectar  in  flowers,  120 

Nephritis  due  to  alcoholism,  18 

Nervous  disturbances  due  to  an- 
ger, 96 

due  to  resistance  to  sex  im- 
pulse, 121 


[279] 


Index 


Nervousness  as  evidence  of  gen- 
eral paralysis,  97 
due  to  poorly  balanced  diet,  166 
in  children,  49 

due   to    alcoholic   inheritance, 

20 

in  thyroid  disturbance,  151 
in  women,  128 

Neurasthenia  due  to  alcoholic  in- 
heritance, 20 

due    to    anticonceptional    prac- 
tices, 183 
smoking  in,  39 
Nicotine,  effects  of,  154 
Nose  picking,  dangers  of,  62 
Nourishment,     effects     of     insuf- 
ficient, 158 
Nutrient  salts,  161 

Obesity,  28,  50 
at  the  menopause,  181 
due  to  lack  of  potash,  165 
to  thyroid  failure,   150 
mud  baths  in,  272 
sex  gland  administration  in,  213 
thyroid  medication  in,  213 
ultra-violet  rays  in,  240,  259 
Old  age    due   to    degeneration   of 

ductless  glands,   197 
Operation   for   rejuvenation,  201 

in  man,  209 

Osseous    system,    effect    of    ultra- 
violet rays  on,  253,  260 
Ovarian    disorders    due    to    anti- 
conceptional   practices,    184 
medication,  216 
transplantation,        experimental, 

207 

Ovaries,    harmful    effects    of    to- 
bacco on,  153 
hyperemia  of,  122 
mud   baths  in    disturbances    of, 

271 
physiological  influence  of,  123 


Overeating,  22 
Overwork,  69 

Painting  the  face,  110,  177 
Pallor  due  to  smoking,  148 
Parenthood,  avoidance  of,  115 
Paralysis,  general,  of  the  insane, 

36,  38,  46 

anger  as  sign  of,  97 
Paresis,  36,  38,  46 
Peacock,  vanity  in  the,  101 
Pellagra,  166 
Perfumes,  106 
Pessaries,  182,  184 
Phosphorus     compounds     in     the 

diet,    163 

Pigmentation    of    skin    by    ultra- 
violet rays,  257 
Pimples,    quartz    light    treatment 

of,  258 

Pituitary  disease,  91,  255 
Plants  as  workers,  140 

brilliant  colors  among,  104,  108 
Podagra,  30,  99 

Potash  a  necessity  in  the  diet,  164 
Potassium  permanganate,  59 
Potatoes,  159,  160,  165,  167 
Potency,   restoration  of,  209,   215, 

269,  272 
Poverty  as  the  fate  of  great  men, 

82 
Praying  cricket,  nuptial  habits  of, 

115 
Pregnancy,  effect  of,  on  personal 

appearance,  186 

enlargement   of   thyroid  in,    149 
Premature  ageing  due  to  changes 

in  thyroid,  151 
Prostate,  disturbances  of,  44 
effect  of  mud  baths  on,  271 
Proteins,  25,  26 
Pseudo-angina,  36 
Puerperal  sepsis,  discovery  of  the 

cause  of,  73 


[  28°] 


Index 


Puffiness  below  the  eyes,  151 
Purgatives,  overuse  of,  172 
Putrefaction  a  necessary  process, 

56 

Pyemia,  62 
Pyorrhea,  quartz  light  treatment 

in,  260 

radio-active  emanations  in,  260 
sunlight  treatment  in,  260 

Quartz  light,  237,  239,  250,  257 
effect  of,  on  thyroid  gland,  250 

Radio-active   mineral   waters,    266 
Radium,  effect  of,  on  sex  glands, 

253,  265 
emanations,  265 
effects  of,  on  blood-pressure, 

269,  270 

on  ductless  glands,  265 
on  uric  acid  in  blood,  270 
on  urine,  270 
Radium  baths,  264 

rejuvenating  effects  of,  268 
Rainbow  fish,  103 
Rapid  ageing  of  women,  143 
Rats,      rejuvenation     experiments 

in,  198,  201 

Rays  of  the  sunlight,  235 
Red  face,  of  heavy  eaters,  32 

quartz  light  treatment  in,  258 
Reduction    cures,    158,    213,    240, 

259 

Rejuvenation,  189 
by    animal    gland    preparations, 

212 

by  arsenic,  228 
by  iodides,  223 
by  mercury,  229 
by  mud  baths,  271 
by  natural  sunlight,  241 
by  radium  baths,  264,  268 
by  surgical  methods,  201 
by  ultra-violet  rays,  239,  256 
feasibility  of,  195 


Rheumatism,  267,  270 

as  a  result  of  miserliness,  87 
Rhubarb,  174 
Rice,  159,  160 
Ritual  ablutions,  61 
Roentgen  rays,  261 

effects  of,  225,  254 
on  testicles,  226,  248 
on  thyroid  gland,  254 
Rustic  labor,  advantages  of,  141 

Scalp,  infection  of,  62 

Schubert,  poverty  of,  82 

Scorpion,  Languedoc,  nuptial  hab- 
its of,  117 

Scratching,    possible    dangers    of, 
63 

Scurvy,  166 

Seashore,    sunlight    treatment    at 
the,  242 

Sebaceous   secretion,   exaggerated, 
treatment  of,  258 

Self-fertilization     among     plants, 
140 

Seminiferous  tubules,  204 

Semmelweis,    hardships    suffered 
by,  73 

Septic  poisoning,  62 

Sex  gland  administration   for  re- 
juvenation, 212 

Sex  glands,  effects  of  smoking  on, 
40 

Sexual   activity,    how    nature    im- 
poses moderation  in,  43,  45 
functions     improved     by    gland 

treatment,  214,  215 
by  iodides,  228 
by  radium  baths,  268 
indiscretion,  42 
instinct,  42,  57,  80,  101,  119 
overactivity,  harmful  effects  of, 
43,  53 

Silicates,  161 


[281] 


Index 


Singing,    relationship   of,    to    sex 

instinct,  102 
Skin  eruptions  due  to  insufficient 

water  drinking,  168 
Sleeplessness  due  to  smoking,  38 
Smoking,  33 

influence  on  the  female  organ- 
ism, 147,  153 
moderation  in,  34 
on  an  empty  stomach,  38,  156 
precautions  in,  156 
soothing  effect  of,  38 
unfitness  for,  37 

Solicitude  for  the  offspring,  132 
Spasms   in   children,   of   alcoholic 

origin,  20 

Spectrum  of  sun,  235,  261 
Spirochetcs  of  syphilis,  47 
Starchy  foods,  159 
Steinach's    method    of    rejuvena- 
tion, 198,  201 
Sterility,  40 

due  to  undernutrition,  161 
in  women,  treatment  of,  216 
mud  baths  in,  272 
Stinginess,  87 

in  old  age,  87 

Stomach,  catarrh  of,  due  to  pur- 
gatives, 174 

effects  of  overeating  on,  27,  30 
Stove,  the  body  compared  to  a,  23 
Sudden  death,  41,  48,  71 
Sulphur,  161 
Sun  as  source  of  energy,  23,  24, 

232 

worship,  24 
Sun's  rays,  rejuvenating  effect  of, 

232,  241 

Sunbath,  243,  249 
Sunlight  treatment,  241 
Surgical  methods  of  effecting  re- 
juvenation, 201 
drawbacks  of,  210 
Sweets,  160 


Syphilis,  35,  37,  45,  97,  124,  228, 

229 

alcohol  as  abettor  of,  21 
as  cause  of  premature  death,  46 
effects  of,  on  later  generations, 

48 

Tabes  dorsalis,  36,  45 

Teeth,    diseased,    due   to   lack   of 

lime,  163 
effect   of    ultra-violet    rays    on, 

260 
Testicle,    functional    divisions    of, 

204 
Testicles,    effects    of    iodides    on, 

226,  228 

of  radium  baths  on,  268 
of  ultra-violet  rays  on,  252 
of  x-rays  on,  225 

Testicular    extract    for    rejuvena- 
tion, 198 
Theology,   relation   of,   to  natural 

history,  107 
Thyroid  gland,  effects  of  alcohol 

on,  16 
of     radium     emanations     on, 

269 

of  smoking  on,  40,  148 
of  x-rays  on,  254 
enlargement  of,   149 
insufficiency  of,  150 
stimulation  of,  by  iodides,  223 

by  ultra-violet  rays,  252 
Thyroid  medication,   150,   160,  212 
in  bradycardia,  213 
in  feeblemindedness,  17 
in  impotence,  215 
in  myxedcma,  151 
in  obesity,  160,  213 
in  sterility,  216 
possible  untoward  effects  of, 

151 

precautions   in,   221 
transplantation,  210 


[282  ] 


Index 


Tight  clothing,  109 

lacing,  109 
Tobacco,  33,  147 
as  cause  of  arteriosclerosis,  35, 

154 

effects  of,  on  thyroid  gland,  151 
smoke,  harmful  effects  of,  40 
Transplantation  of  ovaries,  207 

of  thyroid,  210 
Tuberculosis,  65,  69,  86,  113 
favored  by  alcoholism,  19 
of  bones,  sunlight  treatment  in, 

242 

Tumors  of  uterus,  128 
Typhoid    fever,    military    control 

of,  60 

Ultra-violet  rays,  235 
penetrating  power  of,  262 
physiologic  effects  of,  236,  252, 

263 

rejuvenating  effects  of,  239,  248, 
256 

Uncleanliness,  60 
Underfeeding,  86,  112,  157,  158 
Undernutrition  as  cause  of  steril- 
ity, 161 

Uric  acid,  26,  27,  111,  169,  213 
in  blood,  effect  of  radium  ema- 
nations on,  270 
Urine,    effects    of    radium    baths 

on,  270 
of    sunlight   treatment    on,   244, 

252 
Uterine  disorders  due  to  anticon- 

ceptional  practices,  183 
Uterus,  cancer  of,  122,  184 
hemorrhages  from,  128 
hyperemia  of,   122 
mud    baths    in    disturbances    of, 

271 

suppurative     inflammation     of, 
127 


Valdes  Leal,  the  masterpiece  of, 

55 

Vanity,  101 
as   cause   of   premature    death, 

108 

Vegetables  rich  in  proteins,  26 
Venereal      infection,     precautions 

against,  59 
Ventilation,     harmful    effects    of 

inadequate,  69 
Viscosity  of  the  blood,  26 
effect  of  iodides  on,  231 
Vitamines,  161,  165,  167 
Voronoff,    surgical    methods    of, 

210 

Walking  as  an  exercise,  160 
Wasps,  care  of  offspring  among, 

135 
Wassermann    blood   test,    35,   97, 

125 
Water,    insufficient    drinking    of, 

168 

Waters,  radio-active  mineral,  266 
Wealth,  love  of,  85 
Women,  smoking  by,  39 
Woodcock,  dance  hall  constructed 

by,  102 

Work  and  the  sex  instinct,  131 
as  a  promoter  of  health,  141 
as  an  instinct,  80,  139 
Wounds,     effect     of     ultra-violet 

rays  on,  253 

importance  of  cleanliness  in,  66 
Wrinkles  in  thyroid  failure,  150 
reduction  of,  by  sex  gland  ad- 
ministration, 212 

X-rays,  261 
effects  of,  225 
on  testicles,  226,  248 
on  thyroid  gland,  254 

Yellowish    skin   in   thyroid   insuf- 
ficiency, 150 
Youth,  restoration  of,  189 


[283] 


OTHER  BOOKS 

OF 

VITAL  IMPORTANCE 

BY 

DR.  ARNOLD  LORAND 


Old  Age  Deferred 

THE  CAUSES  OF  OLD  AGE  AND  ITS  POSTPONEMENT  BY 
HYGIENIC  AND  THERAPEUTIC  MEASURES. 

BY 

ARNOLD  LORAND,  M.D. 

CARLSBAD,  CZECHOSLOVAKIA. 

Royal  Octavo.    480  Pages.    Attractively  Bound  in  Extra  Cloth, 
Burnished  Top.     Price,  $3.00,  net. 

NEW  EDITION 

With  the  Addition  of  an  Important  New  Chapter  on  Premature  Old 
Looks  :    Their  Prevention  and  Treatment. 

DR.  LORAND  has  taken  into  consideration  not  the  faddists, 
but  the  great  physiologists  and  clinicians  whose  writings 
are  based  upon  sound  premises,  extensive  research,  and 
vast  experience. 

The  author  discusses  the  agencies  which  govern  the  nutri- 
tion of  our  bodies.  Those  which  govern  the  condition  of  the 
nervous  system  and  mentality.  The  influence  of  the  various 
glands  upon  vitality  and  long  life.  The  causation  and  rational 
prevention  of  premature  old  age,  and  the  treatment  of  old  age. 
The  proper  hygienic  measures  to  be  followed  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  functions  of  the  body.  Personal  hygiene  in  all  its 
phases  from  infancy  on  through  youth,  middle  life  and  maturity. 
Some  of  the  topics  discussed  are: — 

"It  is  quite  within  the  bounds  of  possibility,  as  we  shall  en- 
deavor to  demonstrate  herein,  to  prolong  our  term  of  youthful- 
ness  by  ten  or  twenty  years.  In  other  words  we  need  no  longer 
grow  old  at  forty  or  fifty ;  we  may  live  to  the  age  of  ninety  or  one 
hundred  years,  instead  of  dying  at  sixty  or  seventy.  All  this 
can  be  brought  about  by  the  observance  of  certain  hygienic 
measures,  and  by  improving  the  functions  of  a  certain  few  of  the 
glandular  structures  in  our  body."  (From  the  author's  preface.) 

This  work  has  now  been  published  in  nine  languages,  large 
editions  being  necessary  to  supply  the  demand  in  each  language. 

BRITISH  MEDICAL  JOURNAL  (London,  England). 

In  his  book  on  "OLD  AGE  DEFERRED."  Dr.  Lorand  has  put  together  a  large 
amount  of  learning  and  has  dealt  with  an  immense  number  of  subiects. 


F.  A.  DAVIS   COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS, 
1914-16  Cherry  Street  PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


Health  and  Longevity  Through 
Rational  Diet 

PRACTICAL  HINTS  IN  REGARD  TO  FOOD  AND  THE  USEFULNESS 
OR  THE   HARMFUL  EFFECTS  OF   THE  VARIOUS 
ARTICLES  OF  DIET. 

BY 

DR.    ARNOLD    LORAND 

CARLSBAD,  CZECHOSLOVAKIA. 

Translated  from  the  Original  German  Edition,  with  an  Introduction  by 
VICTOR  C.  VAUGHAN,  M.D.,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.  Being  aj  complete  code  of 
instructions  as  to  the  different  foods  and  how  they  can  be  best  employed. 
Royal  Octavo.  425  pages.  Handsomely  Bound  in  Cloth  (uniform  with 
"OLD  AGE  DEFERRED").  $3.00,  net. 

SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS: 

Introduction,  with  remarks  upon  the  importance  of  the  Appetite  and 
the  Object  of  the  Processes  of  Nourishment. 

I.  The  Influence  of  Food  Upon  Man. 

II.  The  Fundamental  Laws  of  Rational  Feeding. 

III.  The  Injurious  Modes  of  Feeding. 

IV.  The  Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances. 

Meat  Diet.     Fish  Diet.     Milk  Diet.     Cereals.     Green  Vege- 
tables.   Fruit  Diet.    Beverages. 

V.  Vegetarianism  and  its  Advantages  and  Disadvantages.    Hints  for 

the  Prevention  of  the  Latter. 

VI.  The  Practical  Advantages  of  Rational  Feeding.     Useful  Hints. 

VII.  Hints  for  Those  Obliged  to  Take  their  Meals  in  Restaurants. 

The  Injurious  Effects  of  the  "Table  d'Hote"  Diet. 

VIII.  The  Increased  Activity  of  Certain  Functions  Brought  About 

by  Food. 

IX.  The  Increased  Muscular  Power  Resulting  from  a  Suitable  Diet. 

X.  Conclusion.     The  Relationship   of  Food  to  Old   Age  and   Lon- 

gevity.   Glossary.    List  of  Diseases.    Index. 

MANY  PEOPLE  naturally  sidestep  books  on  diet  because  they 
expect  to  be  warned  against  their  pet  dietary  follies.    This  is 
not  the  Lorand  way.     In  a  most  entertaining  manner  Dr. 
Lorand  explains  to  the  reader  the  advantages,  disadvantages  and 
nutritive  values  of  different  foods  so  clearly  that  a  person  of  ordinary 
intelligence  can  exercise  good  judgment.     Obviously,  no  person  of 
reasonable  common  sense  deliberately  follows  the  path  of  error  in 
diet;  if  he  has  the  facts  he  can  go  ahead  and  choose  for  himself;  Dr. 
Lorand's  book  provides  the  facts. 

JOURNAL  OF  THE  AMERICAN  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION  (Chicago,  111.). 

Methods  of  cooking  are  described  and  Interesting  remarks  are  made  as  to  the  size 
and  distribution  of  the  ill  effects  arising  from  various  special  and  one-sided  diets.  It  is  full 
of  valuable  bints  from  which  all  can  profit.  It  may  be  recommended  to  the  layman  as  well 
us  to  the  practitioner. 


F.  A.  DAVIS   COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS, 
1914-16  Cherry  Street  PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


Building  Human  Intelligence 

"Only  that  may  enter  our  mind  which 
has  made  its  way  through  the  senses." 

—Si.  THOMAS  AQUINAS. 

BY 

Dr.    ARNOLD    LORAND 

Physician  to  the  Baths,  Carlsbad 

Author  of  "Old  Age  Deferred"  and  "Health  Through 
Rational  Diet" 

Translated  from  the  German 

BY 

PHILIPP     FISCHELIS,     M.D. 

Acting  Associate  Professor  of  Histology  and  Embryology, 
University  of  Pennsylvania. 


About  450  Pages,    Octavo 

PRICE,  BOUND  IN  HANDSOME  CLOTH,  $3.00 

This  Includes  Delivery, 


In  this  work  the  gifted  author  correlates  by  careful 
analysis  those  miscellaneous  factors  which  conjointly  pro- 
duce what  is  known  as  human  intelligence.  Only  a  man 
of  very  exceptional  personal  observation,  clinical  knowl- 
edge, and  thorough  familiarity  with  the  collateral  sciences, 
and  the  literature  pertaining  to  same,  could  have  produced 
such  a  book. 

Naturally  the  reader  will  be  a  great  gainer  by  this 
assembling  into  a  harmonious  sequence  of  such  a  great 
variety  of  essential  facts.  The  author's  name  is  all  that 
is  required  as  a  guarantee  that  the  book  is  interesting. 

"BUILDING  HUMAN  INTELLIGENCE"  is  new 
and  well  worth  having  in  its  freshness. 


F.  A.  DAVIS    COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS, 
1914-16  Cherry  Street  PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Form  L9-32m-8,'58(587Gs4)444 


Lorand  - 


6    Life  shortening 
8  1  habits  and  re- 
juvenation 


RA 
776 
L88  1 


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